Tale of the Zodiac
by Ash-X7
Summary: AU. The mysterious disappearance of the night stars shocked the world. The ancient mythology of the twelve zodiacs represents gods, the guardians of future, and fate that revolves around mankind. A Fantasy/Romance, Strictly Seiya/Usagi, Yaten/Minako...
1. Wheel of the Zodiac: Mythology

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Disclaimer: Usual things, I do not own SM characters. However, I do own this story and plot. Zodiacal Facts and Information are based on research source. This is a sold story of mine; client-base project, however characters names are changed to those of SM and other anime crossovers.

Do read my other fanfics, _**The Love Legend**_, and _**National Psychical Academy**_ stories with S/U pairing… Same goes for this, so if you are not an S/U supporter, don't read it!

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**Tale of the Zodiac**

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Summary: The mysterious disappearances of the night stars shocked the world. The ancient mythology of the twelve zodiacs represents gods, the guardians of future and faith that revolves around mankind. Nights without the twelve stars could only mean the beginning of a new era of destruction. It was believed that they were cast down to earth for an unknown cause. Will they be able to regain their power and memories and stop the coming chaos before it's too late?

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**Zodiacal Facts and Information **

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Definition of Zodiac: Familiar in western, it denotes an annual cycle of twelve stations along the ecliptic, the apparent path of the sun across the heavens through the constellations that divide the ecliptic into twelve equal zones of celestial longitude. In Chinese astrology, months and years pass through a cycle of twelve animals that imply certain fortunes or misfortunes related to events occurring within those periods. The Chinese zodiac is not linked to constellations.

Origin of Zodiac: The precise origins of the twelve constellations of the zodiac are unknown. In particular, the reasons for the prominence given to animals are unclear. Their origins are more likely to be in the belief of early peoples that events on earth were mirrored in the heavens above them. It followed then, that important mythical beings in the earth's affairs must have a matching image in the sky. Therefore over time a process probably developed whereby various important archetypal characters in ancient myth were linked to the sky by the 'discovery' of a pattern of stars (or 'constellation') in their image.

Astrology Zodiac: In astrology the astrological signs represent twelve equal segments or divisions of the zodiac. According to astrological beliefs, celestial phenomena reflect or govern human activity on the principle of "as above, so below", so that the twelve signs at the same time are held to represent twelve basic personality types or characteristic modes of expression. The scientific community generally considers astrology as a pseudoscience or superstition; yet despite this, belief in astrology remains widespread.

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**Wheel of the Zodiac: Mythology**

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"According to legend, they were mystical beings; gods of their respective affairs and guardians of heaven. The twelve stars were Zeus, the King of Gods favourite celestial collection. He represented them as Starstones and hung them up in the night sky to commemorate their beautiful existence; a memorable display of affection from the Heavenly Ruler.

The four brightest Starstones symbolized the strongest mythical beings; Aries, Leo, Scorpio and Sagittarius.

Aries represented by the Ram was the first star to be hung up. Famed as Zeus favourite son, the Prince of God was the leader of heavenly warriors and the pioneer of the twelve zodiacs. He was also the lover of virginity, Virgo, the golden maiden whose extreme beauty tamed a fabulous beast, the white Unicorn. The inseparable couple was often seen together, embracing each other on the mystical mount as they rode through their never ending love path.

At the centre, the one that shone the fiercest belonged to the King, the majestic Leo represented by the Lion. Leo was the ruler of the stars, along with his half-brother, Aries. They were dominating siblings with diverse appearances but comparable personalities; courageous and powerful. Leo had hairs that took the color of the sun while Aries had his reverse; a long pure black representing night intensity. Together, they were known as the brothers of domination; Leo being the leader of the Day while Aries the ruler of the Night.

A half man, half horse, he was the top hunter among the twelve zodiacs. Sagittarius, the centaur was the archer of pain; his fiery white arrow claimed to extinguish any soul that dared face him. In love with one of the mermaid, Pisces, the fishes of dream, he would often visit the sea coast just to catch a glimpse of her, the sister with long, golden hair.

Pisces was the existence of two mermaids; the blonde was claimed to be so enchantingly beautiful that fishes would forget how to swim and sink away from the surface whenever she passed by, while her brunette sister had voice so beautifying that whenever she sang, it distracted sailors from their works causing shipwrecks.

One day, Aquarius while walking by overheard her angelic tone; mesmerized by it he followed the voice to a nearby freshwater lake. He saw Pisces combing her long silky dark brown hair as she sang the song of dreams and was immediately drawn to her beauty. Though she shied away from him at first, as the myth progressed, they became devoting lovers.

But their happiness was short.

Aquarius who was famed for his male beauty, being the handsomest mortal was later kidnapped by Zeus; the King of God who saw him, instantly fell in love with the beautiful youth. He initially wanted Aquarius as his lover but later made him his cupbearer after he realized Aquarius' strong love for one of the Pisces sister. It was also believed that Zeus took interest in Pisces as well and brought them up with him, uniting them with Sagittarius and Aquarius.

Among the twelve zodiacs guardians, he was the most mysterious, darkest and complex of all. Scorpio's Starstone represented by a Scorpion is definitely not the dimmest despite his withdrawn characteristic. He was a merciless killer in combat as well as a beyond intelligent mastermind off battle; one who can never lose in a war. Scorpio showed little intimacy towards the other guardians, but was seen as a trustworthy and indispensable partner to the two leaders' zodiacs; Aries and Leo. The Starstones…"

"What are you reading, Usagi?" A tall brunet appearing from behind interrupted the reading.

"Mamoru, it's you." Usagi closed the book. "I bought it from an old bookstore. It's called the 'Tale of the Zodiac'. It's a pretty interesting…"

"You sure love myths and legends, don't you?" Mamoru stopped her from continuing. "First was _The Love Legend_ and now the Tale of the what?"

"It's called the 'Tale of the Zodiac'." Usagi frowned. "It talks about the Zodiacs guardian and the Starstones…"

"Myths and Legends aren't real…" He barged in before she could even finish her sentence. "This is the 21st century, ruled by sciences and technology… and not by gods, the Dark Lord or some made believed guardians."

"Then try explaining why there isn't any star in the night sky for the past one year?" Usagi feeling rather displeased argued. "Even astrologists and scientists are unable to give a proper explanation for such phenomenon."

"There you go again…" Mamoru sighed. "It must be due to some universal changes with planets outside of earth, definitely not because of some superstitious claim of the Zodiacs guardians losing their Starstones nonsense… Let's not talk about this. How is your consideration coming along? "

"What consideration?" Usagi cocked her head slightly.

"About our marriage, of course… You still haven't answered me." Mamoru frowned lightly.

"Oh, that…" Usagi hesitated. "I already told you before that it's too soon… I don't even know you well enough yet."

"We've known each other for a year already." Mamoru insisted. "Isn't that long enough for you?"

"No! A year is too short… too short for anything… I… I don't even know my real name. A year is too short for me to recall anything! I have no clue where I came from, who my parents are, and why I am here in the first place!"

For once, Mamoru could not find anything appropriate to argue back, because what she said was true. A year ago, the same night when the mysterious disappearance of the night stars occurred, he and his family witnessed glowing light coming from their backyard. Tracing it, they were taken aback by what they saw. A young, entrancingly beautiful blonde dressed in fancy white gown laid motionlessly near the garden lake. Mamoru was immediately mesmerized by her exceptional beauty, whoever she was. The mysterious girl woke up the next morning not remembering anything except for her name. Even so, his filthy rich family _adopted_ her, naming her on certificate, giving her education and took care of her necessities all for Mamoru's interest.

It had occurred to Usagi that his parents were very displeased about her declining the marriage, since they took care of her because of their son but she can't possibly marry someone she was uncertain of. Forget about marriage, she didn't even know what love was. The things that only made sense to her were myths and legends, in which Mamoru saw as nonsense. Usagi didn't understand why she was drawn to folktales, maybe because they sort of place some links to her frequent dreams.

She dreamt of strange, unexplainable beings and events, like an attractive man against the sun, a blind-folded woman holding onto a balancing scale, an archer centaur, a seagoat together with a white bull that could transform themselves into humans, and a beautiful cupbearer supplying water down to the mermaids beneath. But the most memorable of them all was a young man embracing her from behind as they rode down the mystical forest on a white Unicorn. She could not see his face or hear his voice but she could feel his warmth and presence around her. Who was he? She badly wanted to know for he seemed someone essential to her.

Usagi did tried telling Mamoru about her dreams that she believed serve a linkage to her origin but he only laughed them off, claiming they were her fancy imagination. She didn't bother discussing them with him anymore for he never believed in dreams, myths or legends. To him, they were just made-up fantasy. But, she did not see them as just fable because she believed that every legend came with an origin. It was there for a purpose and reason and definitely not just for entertainment.

"Take your time…" Mamoru patting her on the shoulder consoled. "You will remember everything eventually. Mother has already contacted a really good specialist… maybe he could help you regain your memories…"

"Thanks, but…It isn't necessary since no one can possibly help me…"

"Please don't think this way, Usagi." Mamoru tried convincing. "Medical technology is really advanced nowadays. I'm pretty sure they can be of some help to you…"

"Let's not discuss this further alright?" Usagi sighed tirelessly.

She wanted to get back to her room instantly, pretty much wanted to sleep so she could dream of that mysterious young man and feel his warmth around her once more. She knew she didn't belong here. She belonged to the world in her dream!

"It's getting late. Shouldn't you be getting some sleep? There's school tomorrow."

"Ya, Ok…" Mamoru reluctantly agreed and headed up to his room. "You sleep early too, alright? Don't read too much of those… It spoils your brain."

Usagi could only stare unbelievably at him, as he disappeared up the stairs.

"You know nothing…" She murmured and stared at the book in her hand for a second longer before proceeding up to her room.

She opened the door and flung herself onto the soft bed.

"_They are real… I know they are…"_ She thought silently before closing her heavy eyelids.

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It was all happening again, Usagi could clearly hear commanding shouts and devastating screams but her vision was hazy. She was surrounded by human-like figures and a young man dressed in a crimson red robe was firmly holding on to her hand as he fought through the mass of undistinguished enemies. His face, she noticed, was covered by a peach colored splotch.

"Gemini! Take Virgo to somewhere safe!" The young man ordered a pair of heavenly twins as he released his hold against hers.

"No!! No Aries!!" Usagi cried in vain.

After she was being pulled up onto a unicorn, the brotherly twin charged back front. Her lover turned back and she saw his gentle smile.

"We will meet again…" He told her with assurance.

Her white horse reared as the ground began shaking recklessly. Usagi witnessed twelve colourful shimmers falling before the cloudy earth broke apart and she found herself slowly falling away from the sky, away from her existence, away from him…

"Virgo!"

She heard his cries and saw his hand extended forth towards hers. It was just a few inches away.

"Aries!"

It was so close, she could almost touch him. But suddenly, his hand vanished. Gone!

"NOOOOO!!"

Everything turned dimmer and dimmer…

"ARIESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!" Usagi shot up sitting upright in her bed.

She was covered with thick sweats and her heart was pounding loudly and hardly. She made a wild glance around her room for a minute before realizing she just had a dream. But it seemed so real, as if it had actually happened.

"_Aries…"_

His name was still locked inside her.

A tiny drop of lonely tear slid down her rosy cheek, _"Who… Where are you?"_

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"Are you feeling alright?" Mamoru asked in concern. "You look pretty pale…"

"I'm fine." Usagi lied while spacing out of the car window.

She wasn't feeling good, obviously. Her dreams were bothering her terribly but she was never letting Mamoru know, because the last thing she would ever want to hear from him was that they were either fake or imaginary.

"Did you have a bad dream?" Mamoru guessed.

"Sort of…" She answered blankly, still not facing him.

"It's alright… Dreams aren't real…" He added thoughtlessly.

"How can you be so certain that they aren't real?!" Usagi snapped.

"Cool down, Usagi." Mamoru tried calming her. "Let's not quarrel over such nonsense, shall we?"

"Nonsense?! They aren't nonsense!" She shook her head in disbelief. "You know nothing, Mamoru! You know nothing!"

"Well, since you think they are real..." Mamoru became impatient. "Then prove it! Prove it to me that Zodiac guardians are real, that Hell King and gods exist! Show me the existence of Unicorn, mermaids or centaur… Or even a Prince of god by the name of Aries?! Where is he?! Where is he?!"

Usagi was dumbfounded. Yes, where was he? She swallowed hard, feeling the sense of loneliness again. The feeling that told her she didn't belong here, she was all alone in this unfamiliar world. Consumed with grief, she exited the car as soon as it stopped for traffic and ran as fast as she could in random direction. Usagi heard Mamoru's continuous calls slowly fainting as she ran further into the distance. She wanted to get out of this lonely place, and go back home, to the world in her dreams.

Usagi staggered, her heel stepping on a stone and one of her feet wasn't touching the ground anymore. She flailed her arms around, trying to keep her balance upright but gravity wasn't on her side and continued to pull her downwards. Suddenly, someone reached for her and grabbed her arm right before she reached the ground. Her savior pulled her up into his arm in a one-side embrace.

"Are you alright?" She heard a familiar voice asked in concern.

Usagi gazed up immediately meeting his dark blue eyes. He was very handsome. Strangely, he looked very familiar like she had known him before. But she could not recall where. She could hardly remember anything except for her consistence dreams. Dreams? Was he from her dream? She was still in his arm as he continued to peer at her wondering why she wasn't responding to his question.

"I'm fi-fine…" She choked out with a deep blush.

People were staring and whispering about the two of them.

"Oh! I'm so jealous!" a girl pointing at her savior exclaimed.

"Ya! I want a boyfriend like him!" another cried.

"That's good." He responded with a smile before releasing his hold against her, leaving her feeling lonely and disappointed. She wanted him to continue embracing her, but maybe that was a little too much to ask for considering he was a stranger and he had just saved her from a fall.

"Thank you." Usagi bowed her head.

"It was nothing. That's what a Knight should do right?" He grinned pleasingly.

Usagi giggled, "No one calls themselves Knights nowadays. It's the 21st century."

Then she gasped at her own respond, realizing that she sounded like Mamoru. Though she knew that it was his influence, she still didn't like it.

"No matter the era, they still exist…" He replied simply, catching Usagi by surprise.

"So… You believed in them?" She asked in hope that he did. "Like gods, mystical creatures and zodiacs…"

"I don't see what's there not to believe." He smiled charmingly back at her, making her blushed even more.

There was a few second of silence as Usagi peered at him. She noted that he had his long black hair tied back into a low ponytail and the longer she looked at him, the more handsome he appeared to be. He was gorgeous beyond words, someone who didn't seem to fit into the current society, and she still couldn't shake the feeling that she somehow knew him.

"Is there something on my face?" He asked, catching her staring a little too long.

"Oh… No… No…I'm sorry…" She glanced away quickly, her cheeks darkening.

He looked at her oddly and smiled. "You know, we will be late for our first class if we continue standing here."

Usagi was confused by his remark till she realized that he was actually wearing the same school attire as her. "You go to the same school as I do! But, I didn't see you in school before…"

"My first day." He responded as they strolled down the streets. "I just got transferred here with my other two friends but schooling is just temporary... After we found what we are looking for, we will most probably be leaving."

Usagi kept quiet for a moment as she tried to hide her disappointment. She secretly didn't want him to leave, but she couldn't possibly tell him that, could she?

"I forgot to ask, what's your name?" She quickly changed the subject.

"Seiya… and I guess yours is Odango, am I right?" He teased.

"No! My name is Usagi! Not Odango!" She tried restraining herself from flaring at him considering he had just saved her.

"Your hairstyle is pretty cute and the name Odango suits you just fine." Seiya patted one of her bun.

"No it doesn't!" Usagi forcefully opposed.

But before Seiya could respond, they heard someone calling from the distant. They turned and saw Mamoru running towards them.

"There you are Usagi! I've finally found you… and who is he?" Mamoru stared displeasingly at Seiya.

"He's Seiya… He just saved me." Usagi replied, ignoring Mamoru detest for her savior.

"Save you?" Mamoru glared suspiciously at Seiya before turning back to Usagi. "Didn't I tell you not to get too friendly with strangers? When will you ever learn that this isn't your imaginary world? There are no such things like zodiac gods or guardians… there are only people with bad intention…"

Usagi took a step back, away from Mamoru and closer to Seiya. She felt this isolated feeling again, an emotion that she would only feel whenever someone went against her world of beliefs.

"That's not the proper way you should be speaking to a lady…" Seiya stepped forward, securing Usagi behind him. "And, what makes you so certain that zodiac gods doesn't exist?"

"Are you trying to pick a fight with me or prove a point that her nonsense exist?" Mamoru exclaimed, not even bothering to hide his agitation.

"I would love a good fight…" Seiya replied half-jokingly.

"What?!" Mamoru was taken aback by his respond.

"Seiya! You can't! You will get into a lot of trouble if you start a fight here!" Usagi exclaimed.

"I was only joking." He sighed. "It's boring to fight a mortal…"

"We have no time to be joking around with you. Come here, Usagi! We will be late for school if you continue sticking with this weird guy." Mamoru tried reaching for Usagi ordered.

Usagi backed away, she didn't want to follow him or go to school. She wanted to escape back to her real home, the world that she came from.

Seiya sensing her uneasiness blocked Mamoru from getting any closer to Usagi. "It seems to me that she doesn't want to follow you."

"What do you know?" Mamoru glared angrily. "You stay away from this… She's my girlfriend! I know her more than you do!"

"Yes… I may not know anything about her…" Seiya replied arrogantly. "But, I do know that she'll definitely be late for school if she follows you."

"What nonsense!" Mamoru argued. "Unlike you, we are going there by car! You are the one who will be late! Not us! So step aside!"

But Seiya did not budge as he continued standing between Mamoru and Usagi with a confident grin.

Usagi, on the other hand, could only stare intimately back at Seiya, immediately recalling her dreams. He looked just like the young man who held onto her hand as he fought through a legion of army.

"Didn't you hear me?" Seiya tone deepened. "I said Odango will be late if she follows you."

"Very funny... What makes you think you can win a car?" Mamoru clutched his fist and glared doubtfully at Seiya.

"Oh? Are you challenging me?" Seiya voice rose a little with excitement and fierceness. "It's been a while since anyone dares challenge me."

Then, to Usagi's surprise, Seiya effortlessly carried her up with his arm in a bridal style. "Eh?! Seiya!! What are you doing?!"

"Bringing you to school." Seiya responded frankly.

"Hey! What do you think you are doing? Put her down at once!" Mamoru tried grabbing onto Usagi charged forward, but it just took Seiya a tiny sidestep to avoid his intention.

"You can never win the Ram." He heard Seiya said in a firm, assured tone. But before Mamoru could protest, they suddenly vanished before him, leaving the paralysed Mamoru behind in absolute shock.

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Usagi had her arms wrapped around Seiya's neck and her eyes shut tight. She didn't know what was happening besides the hasty wind that was hitting her face hard. It felt as if she had aboard an open-aired bullet train or something even faster. Despite the coldness running against her skin, she felt warm inside. She tightened her hold around him, embracing his warmth.

"Don't worry, we are reaching soon." He whispered into her ear. "Have you heard before? About the Ram that always reaches the top first?"

Usagi peeked and saw his lips curved into a confident grin. "It will never lose."

Right after he finished, Usagi felt the wind motion stopped too.

"We are here!"

She opened her eyes completely and to her astonishment, they were actually situated outside the school entrance. Everyone was staring at them including the teachers. Girls were screaming out of envious and annoying whisperings were heard everywhere. Then, she noted the school gate closing. They had actually made it on time for school!

"I win… yet again…" Seiya murmured before gently placing Usagi back on ground, much to her displease. She secretly wanted him to carry her a while longer but it will be really weird if he continued to do so since they had already grabbed too much attention.

"Thank you." Usagi thanked him for second time today.

"No worries, that's what a Knight should do right?" He smiled charmingly.

Usagi blushed a dark red, "You looked more like a Prince to me…"

Seiya blinked at her comment, before flushing a little and replying half-jokingly. "But, I'll rather be a King."

Suddenly the deafening screams tuned up when two idol-looking boys approached them from behind.

"Can your entrance be any grander?" the teenager with his long slivery hair tied back asked with slight irritation, he was accompanied by a taller boy with long auburn hair.

"Yo! Yaten, Taiki!" Seiya greeted his friends.

The crowd grew bigger and nosier.

"AHHHHHHH!! Who are they?!"

"New students?! Gosh! They are HOT!"

The three idol students were obviously ignoring the comments as they proceeded into the school building.

"Mind introducing?" Yaten was referring to Usagi.

"Her name is Odango…" Seiya answered teasingly.

"No, it's not! It's Usagi!" Usagi shrieked.

"You look pretty familiar, Usagi-san." Taiki peered deeply at her.

"Eh?" She impulsively looked up into Taiki's steady gaze and realized that his violet eyes seemed to pierce right through her with hypnotic intensity. Feeling uneasy, she immediately glanced down.

"Please do not scare her with your stare will you?" Seiya told Taiki while trying to console Usagi. "Don't worry, Odango. I am never allowing him to sting you."

"I have no intention to." Taiki answered frankly as he slid the door open

And as soon as they entered the classroom, the commotion made a rebirth.

"What a coincidence! We are in the same class." Usagi cheered happily but was soon interrupted by her classmate's excited screams. And, as if their bodies were made of magnets, they attracted the whole room of students toward them.

"Move it. Or else…" Taiki ordered in a low, firm tone.

His violet eyes sharpened, sending a crackling, electric validity around to his surrounding. "I will sting all of you to death…"

The mass of students immediately froze, including Usagi, and obediently opened a path for them.

"Take back your killing instinct, will you?" Seiya told Taiki. "You are scaring Odango."

"No… It's ok… I am not scared…" Usagi lied and avoided Taiki's stare.

They proceeded to the back of the room and found four unoccupied seats.

"Do the three of you often grab this much attention?" Usagi asked out of curiosity.

"All the time…" Yaten answered sounding rather irritated. "But we are already used to the attention. Besides, they won't dare to pester us much with Taiki around."

"This is nothing. We had been through worse." Seiya recalled. "Once, we even jumped off a river just to escape from some crazy pursuers."

"Really?!" Usagi asked in bewilderment.

"That's because we bumped into someone even more attention grabbing…" Seiya nodded. "And Taiki wasn't there with us then…"

"Eh?! Who was that person?" Usagi asked unbelievably. She can't imagine anyone capable of grabbing more attention than they could.

"A cat…" Yaten and Seiya answered together.

"A cat?" Usagi repeated.

"Yes. He's a really big cat..." Taiki abruptly added.

"A really big cat?" Usagi was getting more and more confused.

The three nodded at the same time.

"Eh?! I don't understand…" Usagi absorbed no clue.

"You don't have to. He's not someone you would want to meet." Seiya told her with a gentle smile.

"Agreed." Yaten sighed at the thought of that person.

Their troubled expression had Usagi assuming that, whoever that guy was, he must be someone terrible. Then, the classroom door slid open harshly as their homeroom teacher walked in followed by an unhappy Mamoru. Usagi avoided his stare of anger and disbelief, while Seiya grinned arrogantly at the latecomer. None said anything as Mamoru silently headed for an empty seat in front before the class began its first lesson of the year.

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A few streets away from their school, the citizens were overwhelmed by shock after discovering a lake filled with dead fishes. A little boy claimed that he saw a beautiful girl with long, golden hair walked by before the fishes started to float up the surface.

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Further down the capital, a pair of twins was holding hands as they stared up into the blue.

"Let's hope the stars will shine tonight." they prayed.

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Not far from them, the audiences were cheering on a freshman racer. He broke the speed limit and drove passed the finish line as first. Everyone went crazy as he stepped out from the vehicle and removed his helmet, revealing a striking-looking young man in his messy dull-blonde hair.

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Away from the crowd cheers, laid a small peaceful farm where birds from all over the region flew and settled around a lovely lady of green, on her lap slept a tiny white bull.

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On the road, a black Mercedes-Benz drove passed the farm. Inside, a pretty youth was listening to his miniature music player, while his pair of soft-grey eyes gazed lonelily out the car window. He repeatedly hit the playback button each time the song finished as the singer angelic voice was the only thing that kept him sane.

_"Tohru…"_ He mumbled her name softly.

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Further down the highway, a pink ball was seen rolling off the busy traffic, a little boy stumbled across to pick it up not noticing a speeding car approaching. His mother's scream was heard before a mysterious girl leapt front hasty, took the boy into her arms, and leapt off the road, saving him from the coming car. Returning the child to his mother, she was thanked and praised by the passer-bys.

"Here." She bent down and handed the ball over to the little boy.

"Thank you, Onee-san." The young child peered at his savior.

She had thick, short blue hair and her eyes were hidden behind a pair of mirrored shades.

"Onee-san, why are you wearing sunglasses when there isn't any sun today?"

The girl smiled pleasantly before patting the boy on his head, replying, "That's because I'm visually blind."

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High above the shocked crowd, a private jet flew by. Inside sat a young royalty who graciously combed his sparkling hair of sun-gold back with his fingers before taking a small sip of champagne.

"We are arriving soon, Sir." The servant bowing before his king informed.

"Good. Have you located the school they are in yet?" He asked, his dazzling-blue eyes still staring at the champagne in his hand.

"Yes, we have, Sir."

"Good. Tell the pilot, instead of stopping at the airport, head straight for the school. I'm landing there." He arrogantly requested.

"Yes, Sir." The servant obediently proceeded into the control room and passed the message.

The pleasant sky was seen flickering all of the sudden and light thunderous noise was heard from above.

"_Find… Find the twelve Starstones and return to me, my precious celestials." _

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The Love Legend focus on Hell, while Tale of the Zodiac on Heaven.

Leave me a **Review** and tell me if you enjoyed it. It's my upcoming story for you guys, so I will most probably give you guys the rest of the chapters after I finished with The Love Legend…

If you hadn't read my other stories, _The Love Legend_ and _National Psychical Academy_. Do check them out!


	2. The Aries Stone

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**The Aries Stone**

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Around the end of the third period, Usagi was starting to feel real tired as boredom took a direct hit on her. She badly wanted to yawn but restrained herself, not wanting to ruin her composure or get scolded by Koichi Sensei. Every few minutes, Usagi would secretly peek at Seiya who was seated directly next to her. As usual, she glimpsed him resting his chin on his left hand as he peered out of the window while twirling his pen. His notebook, she noticed, was completely empty.

"_He dislikes history too?"_ Usagi wondered as she continued gazing at Seiya, who still had his concentration out of the classroom. He seemed to be staring at the moving clouds either dreaming or thinking of something. Usagi couldn't understand why she couldn't set her eyes off him. What had gotten of her? She wasn't the type of girl to be gawking over a guy and what's more, she was currently in a relationship with Mamoru. Her current action was clearly showing unfaithfulness to her boyfriend, wasn't she? But she really didn't have any feeling for Mamoru. And, no matter how hard she tried, love just couldn't blossom with him. She accepted him mainly because he and his family saved, and helped her a great deal.

Usagi frowned, her lips quivering. She knew she was being selfish and unfair. She knew she wasn't considering Mamoru's feeling into this but she just couldn't shake off the strong feeling that she somehow knew Seiya. How could this even be possible when she only met him a few hours ago? Who was she kidding? Just because he looked like the young man who appeared in her dream frequently, that didn't mean she knew him beforehand.

Then, Usagi saw a chalk flew past her, immediately disturbing her thoughts. She glanced at the direction where it came from and saw Koichi Sensei furious expression.

"The two of you back at the corner! Quit staring out of the window! And pay attention to class!" Koichi Sensei yelled, bringing Seiya's vision back to the class as he glanced uninterestedly at the room teacher, still twirling his pen.

Usagi, on the other hand, was feeling embarrassed as she apologized frantically, "So-sorry Sensei!"

Now, everyone in the room was giving them funny looks. Usagi noticed Mamoru staring displeasingly at her and immediately looked down, not wanting to meet his stare. It was a relief though, that Koichi Sensei had mistaken her for staring at the outside instead of Seiya. She would have died of embarrassment if they were to know about the actual target she was gazing at.

"Boring huh? This world…"

Usagi turned and saw Seiya smiling gently at her. She was trying her best to control her blush from entirely taking over her face as she peered wordlessly at his soft grin. She was very sure she saw a smile like his before, but from where and when?

She watched as Seiya slowly turned his focus away from her and back to the blue sky again.

"There wouldn't be any stars tonight…" He claimed and his beautiful smile fainted.

He sounded so lonely and almost sad when he said that, making Usagi's heart sank with his expression.

Once again, they were seen looking away from the room teacher as Usagi absent-mindedly continued staring at Seiya who had, once again, returned his attention to the world outside.

"That's it! Usagi! And the new student!" Koichi Sensei slammed his desk before pointing to the door. "If my lesson is that boring to the two of you, then get out of my class! OUT!"

Usagi jumped at the teacher's yell, finally realizing that Koichi Sensei was directing their attention to the door, gesturing them to go into the hall. Usagi blinked innocently but nodded and stood up, bowing before she started out the door. Seiya didn't say anything. His eyes held a distant and unbothered look as he uncaringly got up from his seat.

"I can poison his drinks later…" Taiki muttered, looking at Seiya who was standing before him.

"You don't have to avenge him, Taiki." Yaten voiced as he let out a quiet yawn of boredom. "I bet he'll be a whole lot happier outside."

"But revenge is sweet." Taiki grinned devilishly making Yaten shivered at his dark intensity.

"Thanks. But, don't bother. I need some fresh air anyway." Seiya rejected and casually followed Usagi out of the classroom.

The teacher shut the door, leaving the two of them standing outside of the hallway. There they stood, side by side, all alone in the long quiet corridor. Usagi made herself stare at the floor, not understanding why she was feeling nervous standing next to Seiya. Breathing in some courage, she shot a sideway glance at him realizing that he had his arms folded and were staring straight out of the hallway glass window. Usagi cocked her head to the side, trying to figure out what he was concentrated on. She couldn't find anything interesting that would make him stare at. To her, it seemed like he was staring out into space, apparently in deep thought.

Maybe he had caught her peering at him a little too long as Seiya shifted his attention to the blonde besides him.

"Is there something wrong, Odango?" He asked, looking down at her with a somewhat concerned expression.

"Eh? No, no! Not exactly…" Usagi looking back down embarrassingly continued. "It… It just seems like you have some problems in mind."

She immediately grasped at her own words, realizing that it was rude to invade into his privacy when she had only met him a few hours ago.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to be rude and interfere with your thoughts, really!" She anxiously waved her hands in front.

Seiya just leaned backwards and giggled lightly. Her nervous action reminded him of an innocent child apologizing for something she hadn't commit, but at the same time he thought it was adorable.

"There's nothing to be sorry for." He smiled soothingly at her before asking. "Are you tired? Do you need a seat?"

"Eh?" Usagi blinked as Seiya removed his school coat and settled it neatly down on the ground next to her.

"Seiya, what are you doing?"

"I can't possibly allow a lovely lady to sit on dirty grounds, can I?" Seiya grinned as he thoughtfully offered his coat for her rest.

"Eh?! No! I can't do that!" Usagi exclaimed in rejection.

"Why not?" Seiya frowned, showing his unhappiness to her objection.

"Because, I can't just dirty your coat by sitting on it…" Usagi explained.

"It's just a school coat. Wash it if it gets dirty..." Seiya insisted. "You don't want to remain standing for the next 15 minutes, do you?"

Usagi reluctantly obeyed and sat down, seeing no point to get engaged in a disagreement with him.

"Thank you." She thanked in a small voice.

"Not a problem." Seiya replied with a simple grin.

A blush etched across Usagi's cheeks as she continued peering at him. He looked just like a prince; handsome, sweet, gentle and incredibly thoughtful. Usagi couldn't believe he was all of these. Now she wanted to discover the new sides of him, new things she didn't know about him as of now. She wanted to learn about his hobbies, his preferences, dislikes and even his faults. But she could tell already that faults will be hard to find on someone who appeared to be so perfect and flawless. No, he definitely had one right?

Then a red sparkle caught her attention as her eyes flew to the crimson gemstone hanging freely on a sliver necklace around his neck.

"Th-that's beautiful…" Usagi complimented wholeheartedly.

Seiya glimpsed down at himself upon noticing where Usagi had her eyes locked on.

"Is that diamond?" She asked, her eyes not leaving the sparkling crystal-like object. But it did seem relatively big to be considered as a regular diamond, with its triangular brilliant cut and fancy red, the gemstone was definitely a top rate; internally and externally flawless.

Seiya smiled as he lifted the red stone up by its silvery chain. "It's a Starstone."

"What? Starstone?" Usagi exclaimed in absolute surprise.

"You don't believe me?" Seiya asked in a faint grin. Strangely, he didn't appear disappointed or upset by her startled reation. It almost seemed as if he had expected her to disbelieve or some sort. "It's only natural that you don't…"

"No! I believe you! I believe you!" Usagi cut in directly, leaning closer towards him and staring seriously into his widened eyes.

"H-Hai…" Seiya replied with a light blush as Usagi quickly withdrew herself after noting that their distance was close enough to be kissing each other already.

"I'm… I'm sorry…" Usagi face turned dark red as she looked down shyly.

"It-It's not a problem." Seiya glanced away with a blush.

His heart was racing from how close she was to kissing him. A tight knot formed in his chest twisting around painfully. The feeling was strange to him. It almost felt like disappointment. What had gotten into him? He already got a lover hadn't he? Though he couldn't recall her face, he knew she was very essential to him. He couldn't be unfaithful, and would never dream of doing so but he just couldn't understand why, for some unknown reason, he was already acting nice and gentle towards Usagi.

"The Starstone…"

Seiya glanced back at the blonde besides him who suddenly spoke in a small tone.

"Fiery red…" Usagi turned and faced him with a pleasant smile. "It's the Aries Stone, am I right?"

Seiya was taken aback by her knowledge to his Starstone as he stared startling at Usagi for a second longer before replying, "How, how did you know…?"

"I've read about it." Usagi smiled brightly back, "About the Starstones, the Zodiac Guardians, and mystical creatures…"

"You believe in them? Zodiac Guardians…" Seiya asked, still amazed that she actually believed his words, because normally people won't. They would either think of him as insane or just plain joking. No regular human would ever take his words seriously, yet she trusted his ridiculous claim? What if he told her that he actually fought a fiery ram to obtain it? Would she believe in that too?

Usagi nodded while still holding onto her smile. "Hai! They are real. I know they are…"

She returned her focus back to his red Starstone. "The Aries stone, it's the Pioneer of all the Starstones…A Symbol of Courage, Confident and Leadership."

Seiya was caught wordless by her accurate claim. Did she actually research through all these? But why? Then he saw her closing in to his face again, her dazzling sky-blue eyes was seen softening as she peered intimately into his. Seiya froze, not knowing what to make of the situation. What was she trying to do? Was she intending to kiss him? With their lips barely an inch apart, she was incredibly close from actually kissing him. But, Usagi just pause at that position, with no intention of moving any closer or away. She continued gazing at him with the warmest pair of blue eyes Seiya had ever seen. He soon found a faint pink color coating his cheek as she finally broke the silence in a small voice, "Seiya, are you…?"

Then, the classroom door slid opened loudly, interrupting her question. Usagi quickly withdrew herself and glanced up at Koichi Sensei who had just stepped out of the classroom. To Usagi's surprise, the strict teacher didn't start lecturing them for resting on the floor, instead, he was seen smiling pleasently down at Seiya.

"Oh my, Seiya-san." Koichi Sensei grinned anxiously at Seiya who was now offering a hand to Usagi, aiding her up to her feet. "Why didn't you tell me that your father is the Chairman of the School Board?"

"Eh! Seiya, your father is the Chair of the Board?" Usagi exclaimed in complete surprise.

"I don't remember having such parents…" Seiya replied uncaringly to his current status.

Yes, he had no recollection or whatsoever about his present parents who claimed that he, along with Yaten and Taiki, were _their_ son and nephews, stating that they had lost their memories because of a car accident a year back. But, he'd never admit to their claim for he clearly knew who his true father was.

It was all because of the Aries Stone that he remembered who he was. Besides Taiki and _'the other one'_ who too gained their Starstones back, Seiya couldn't recall any of his other comrades or her. It was later concluded by Taiki that all the twelve Starstones were interlink, each needing the other to regain a supporting memory and individual preference.

"Please, Seiya-san." Koichi Sensei continued politely. "Please return back to your seat inside."

"She's coming with me too…" Seiya commanded and gripped Usagi by her wrist.

Much to everyone surprise, he boldly pulled her into the classroom and back to their seats. If Mamoru wasn't feeling angry or jealous several minutes ago, he was definitely feeling the flare now. He glared at Seiya from the front seat, but restrained himself from losing his cool and demanding his girlfriend back at that very instant.

Usagi was blushing intensely by the time Seiya released her. She quickly sat back down and made herself look at her desk, not wanting to meet any of her classmates' hateful glares. The girls in class didn't favour her too well because of her exotic beauty already, and she was sure that they hated her more now after their idol had showed intimacy to her. Usagi sighed quietly, knowing that she'd have lots of explaining to do once she got back home. She felt guilty actually, because she never regretted on any of her previous actions, which she knew she should. But, strangely, she felt really warm with Seiya especially after knowing about his Aries Stone.

Deep inside, she wanted to ask…

"You were the one who told Koichi Sensei?" Seiya looking down at Taiki asked knowingly.

"Indirectly…" Taiki answered simply. "I just felt like seeing his panic expression when he finds out that he had actually punished the Chair's son."

"You sure enjoy watching others' fright, don't you?" Yaten asked with a brow up, not getting his 'sadist' interest.

"I enjoy watching others suffer more." Taiki answered half-jokingly.

His response brought Yaten staring disbelievingly back at him and Seiya sighing quiet. He understood Taiki perfectly well. He could be one's worse enemy, but a definite faithful friend and comrade.

Koichi Sensei continued his lesson, switching everyone attention back to him. Usagi watched as Seiya reluctantly get back into his seat, once again peering out of the window seemingly to be in a thought. Why did he always looked so empty and almost sad whenever he gazed up at the sky? What or who was he thinking? But before she could figure out any of these questions, Usagi saw Seiya widened his eyes in surprise as he abruptly stood up.

"Is there something wrong, Seiya-san?" Koichi Sensei questioned, trying to keep himself from flaring at the Chair's son.

Everyone turned their attention to Seiya who was still staring astonishingly at the outside. Usagi frowned, wondering what had caught his attention.

"Damn!"

It was now Yaten's turn to make a stand as he looked exasperatingly at where Seiya had his vision locked on. Not long after, everyone was seen cracking their head up at the rising noise of what sounded like an plane approaching.

"He's here just like I've predicted." Taiki sighed not bothering to join in the growing commotion.

Soon, everyone was on their feet with their attention out of the window as they stared shockingly at a private jet closing into the school compound. It almost seemed like the plane was intending to crash in at them, frightening the class with cries and screams. But, instead of hitting into the classroom, the private jet steadily stopped, suspended a couple of feet away from their opened windows. The plane door shove opened hastily, and at its entrance stood a tall charming young man with short hair of sun-blonde.

Inside, Seiya was seen staring disbelievingly at the handsome man waving happily at him while girls were heard screaming frantically at the grand arrival of a famous idol.

"YAHHHHH! It's Tamaki Suou! I can't believe it! He's actually here in Japan! AHHHHHH! TAMAKI! OVER HERE!"

Though some of the girls fainted at the sight of the charming celebrity, the noise level did not decrease. Instead, everyone went crazier when Tamaki flew over and embraced Seiya.

"I've finally found you! My royal brother! Did you miss me? Did you miss me?"

"Yaya…" Seiya feeling his headache coming responded with a sigh.

Being with Tamaki can either be a blessing or a total dread. He was the sun itself that shone the light of hope, brightening up everyone's life, but if angered (often very rare), he could turn the warming heat into scorching pain. Furthermore, with Tamaki around, their percentage to escape from any sort of attention instantly dropped to none.

Immediately, the class went chaotic. Girls were screaming and pushing forcefully as they tried to outmatch one another to get closer to Tamaki. Many of the males, including Koichi Sensei were either shoved aside or stepped on, and even females from other classes joined in the rampage.

"No good." Seiya eyeing on the commotion stated.

He spotted Usagi being squeezed uncomfortably among the crowd and skilfully reached out for her while avoiding all the other girls. Usagi's eyes shot up with surprise when she felt herself being lifted away from the crowd.

"Seiya?" She gasped aloud realizing that she was once again in his arms.

"Hold on tight." Seiya whispered firmly.

Usagi nodded and obediently wrapped her arms around his neck. From the appearance of the famous French model to the current class madness, she definitely didn't understand what was going on at all.

"Make a jump!" Seiya facing Yaten and Taiki ordered.

They nodded and grabbed the cheery Tamaki by his arms, dragging him along as they hastily leapt off from the class window.

None of the fans made a chase, not that they didn't want to, but it was way too reckless and humanly impossible to be jumping off from a fifth floor.

--

* * *

--

"Odango, you can open your eyes now." Seiya whispered lightly to the frightened blonde who was clinching onto him tightly.

Usagi reactively lifted her lids and found herself meeting his sparkling night-sky eyes. She blushed as Seiya smiled gently down at her, "Are you alright?"

She nodded and immediately shied away from the many pairs of eyes staring at her and Seiya.

"OHHH! Seiya! Who is the beauty in your arms!" Tamaki exclaimed in bewilderment.

He walked over to Usagi after Seiya had settled her on the ground and bowed in a princely manner before her. "Pleased to meet you, hime."

Usagi blinked several times in disbelieve. Was she dreaming? The world renowned model, Tamaki Suou, was actually talking to her?

"Your eyes are really warm and beautiful." Tamaki smiled naturally to Usagi making her blush a little at his compliment. "Your heart must be as warm and beautiful as your eyes."

Usagi blushed and looked away shyly, "Th-thank you…"

"Don't mind him, Odango." Seiya indicated with a sigh. "It's just his character…"

"And, can your entrance be less grand the next time round?" Yaten eyed agitatedly at Tamaki. "All thanks to you, we are all stuck in this filthy and stuffy storeroom."

"No worries, my peasant." Tamaki responded in a carefree manner. "I've already contacted my chauffeur and private guards. They will be here in no time."

"I am not your peasant! Stop calling me that!" Yaten yelled with great irritation.

"Well, well... Since I can't recall who you are yet…" Tamaki explained. "You shall remain as my peasant till you retrieve your Starstone."

"Why you!" Yaten's assault was immediately held back by Taiki.

"Let me go, Taiki!" Yaten struggled. "Let me strangle him!"

"I will allow you to throttle him later, but not now." Taiki answered while still holding onto Yaten. "They will discover our hideout if you were to start a disorder here."

"Yes, yes. Listen to the Councillor, peasant." Tamaki teasingly patted Yaten on his head. "Or do you prefer to be called my horseman?"

"I'm not your peasant or your horseman and stop touching me!" Yaten annoyingly slapped his hand away.

"What a pity, since you will definitely make such a fine horseman. I've always imagined you as a notable centaur…" Tamaki looked up into the ceiling dreamingly and continued with his vast imagination. "Yes, yes, with a bow on your right and an arrow on your left. Not forgetting a golden mermaid embracing you while riding on your back… Ahhhh… What a beautiful scene. Truly picture perfect!"

"Why a mermaid?" Yaten asked, finding an animated sweat drop floating behind his head. Though Tamaki can be rather annoying and narcissistic at times, it was impossible to stay mad at him for more than a minute due to his cheery and bright nature. "I can't understand your wild imagination at all…"

"Forget it, Yaten. He's not listening to you at all." Taiki gestured his thumb at Tamaki.

The both of them watched wordlessly as Tamaki continued daydreaming, with his sparkling violet eyes still locked on the low ceiling.

On the other hand, Seiya was leaning against the wall. He quietly unlocked the door and opened it slightly enough to peek at the situation outside. There were students lingering out at the hall still on the lookout for them. Obviously, after the arrival of Tamaki, the entire school was trapped in a mess of disorder and not even the disciplines or teachers can do anything to stop it.

"I'm sorry for dragging you into this…" Seiya looking at Usagi apologized.

He was feeling rather confused by his previous action and didn't know what compelled him to bring her along. For some unknown reason, his body just acted on its own accord even though his brain commanded no such action. It was as if his body remembered her and didn't want to leave her behind.

"No. It's alright." Usagi replied honestly with a smile. "I'm happy to be here with you…"

"Happy to be with me?" Seiya repeated finding a pink coating on his cheeks.

Usagi gasped, covering her mouth after realizing what she had just said. "No… I mean… I…"

She blushingly stumbled with her words not knowing what to say after. Lucky for her, Tamaki interrupted directly, "I sense romance! Are the both of you in love?"

"Eh!?" The couple startled together.

"What are you talking about?" Seiya shrieked with a blush, while Usagi looked back down shyly.

"I'm just sensing it." Tamaki replied, switching his view from Seiya to Usagi and back to Seiya. "You know, the two of you actually look really compatible together."

Their blush deepened further at Tamaki's comment.

"Stop saying weird stuffs-...."

Hands were seen flying to Seiya's mouth, stopping him from yelling further.

"Shhhh… They will discover us if you make too much noise." Yaten hissed.

"We can go out now. They had all left to the other halls." Taiki peeking out affirmed.

He quickly opened the door, allowing the others to leave the stuffy storeroom.

"Finally!" Yaten stepping out into the open inhaled a breath of fresh air hungrily.

"We got to hurry before they make a detour back…" Taiki stated with predication.

But his words came true a little too soon as a girl appeared from the corner and pointed at them.

"Everyone! I've found them! Tamaki-sama!" she declared in a shout.

"What a pain." Seiya muttered in irritation as the group turned and made a run.

"I'm surprise you didn't use your power to scare them away this time…" Yaten eyed on Taiki.

"Because they are Tamaki's fans…" Taiki explained as they ran. "I prefer running to Tamaki's grumbling…"

"I agree…" Yaten concurred, thinking back to the time when Tamaki was complaining frantically and pouting over Taiki scaring his fans away.

Much to everyone displeases, Tamaki couldn't find it in himself to be less than gentlemanly towards girls, even thought they are nuisances to the group most of the time. He would rather run away from them than to use violence to stop their harassment which was the main reason why the rest saw it as a headache to be around him. However, Tamaki himself seemed to be completely oblivious about this, seeing it as an entertainment to be running about from his pursues.

"I think we should split." Taiki suggested with a smirk.

He wanted to end this irritating chase without upsetting Tamaki, and there was no better way than to do it without his presence. What he didn't know won't hurt him right? Immediately, Taiki along with Yaten hastily took a sharp turn into the opposite corner not giving Seiya any opportunity to oppose.

"Damn that Scorpio! Escaping by himself and leaving me with all these mess…" Seiya grumbled.

"No worries, Seiya!" Tamaki patted him on the shoulder as they ran up the stairs. "Even without them, you still have this beautiful maiden in your arms, and of course, the charming ME."

"YOU are the main cause of the mess!" Seiya exclaimed in agitation.

"Really? My! I didn't know that I'm this influential…" Tamaki taking it as a form of praise looked back at Seiya with sparkling, happy eyes.

Seiya stared disbelievingly at Tamaki for a second longer before sighing in defeat. "I give up."

Usagi giggled lightly, thinking that they looked comical together.

"Hang on tight." Seiya told Usagi as he opened the hall window and the two boys made a jump, landing steadily outside the school car park.

"Yeah! We are outside again!" Tamaki raised his hands high up and cheered happily. "Ahhh! Fresh air!"

"Where is your chauffeur?" Seiya asked while placing Usagi down to her feet.

"Somewhere…" Tamaki replied simply with a smile.

"What do you mean by somewhere...?!" Seiya yelled back.

In the meantime, Usagi glimpsed a sparkling object dangling by a slivery necklace around Tamaki's neck. She was sure she didn't see it there before. It must have escaped out of his blouse after he made that leap. She strained her eyes for a closer view and noted that the majestic crystal-like object held the same appearance as Seiya's Starstone only that this one was striking sun-gold and with a symbol of what looked like a lion tail in it's internal.

"Tha-That's a Starstone…"

The two boys turned together and stared surprisingly at Usagi.

"Sun gold…" Usagi continued with her eyes still locked on Tamaki's Starstone. "The symbol of Dominance, Power and Life… It's the Leo Stone, am I right?"

There was a brief moment of startled silence before Tamaki broke the stillness with a smile.

"What an amazing lady. You are really born with both the looks and the brain." He praised Usagi as he carefully hid his Starstone back into his blouse.

"This…" Usagi gazed at them hopingly. "Are you…"

But her question was once again interrupted by a familiar call from the back.

"Usagi?"

Usagi spun around and, to her surprise, she found Mamoru running towards her. "Mamoru…?"

"Where have you been?" Mamoru asked with a frown. "I've been looking everywhere for you…"

"I… I…" Usagi hesitated, unable to come up with an appropriate answer.

But Mamoru wasn't paying much attention to her anymore as he set his glare at someone else.

"I thank you for wanting to take care of MY girlfriend…" Mamoru told Seiya, sounding anything but grateful. "But please do not drag her into any of your unnecessary mess. She doesn't have the time to be fooling around with you."

He quickly grasped onto Usagi's wrist, pulling her to his side. Seiya clenched his fists together at Mamoru's action, his eyes burning with envious. His body badly wanted to dash forward and steal Usagi back but his conscious was opposing his desire, clearly telling him that he had no right to for Mamoru was her boyfriend. Who was he to her? No one! For all he knew, she might not even see him as a simple friend. So he clearly had no reason or right to keep her by his side right?

On the other hand, Tamaki noticing Seiya's unhappiness immediately understood the situation. He glanced wordlessly back at the couple before him, and his violet eyes was seen glinting with a little seriousness.

"Wait! Mamoru…" Usagi tried explaining. "It's not what you think it is…"

"Explain to me when we get home." Mamoru stated firmly. "Let's go. You will get yourself into a lot of trouble if you continue sticking with them…"

"Wait! Mamoru…" Usagi tried objecting but he didn't seem to be listening as he continued to pull her into his direction.

"Hold on."

Mamoru was shocked to find Tamaki standing in his way. Impossible, wasn't he behind him a second ago?

"Can you offer me a minute with Usagi-san?" Tamaki requested politely.

Mamoru pondered for a few seconds, thinking that it'd be rude and inappropriate of him to reject someone gracious request. "Alright."

"Thank you." Tamaki smiled and walked over to Usagi.

To everyone surprise, he bent over to her ear and secretly slipped a piece of paper into her hand.

"Our address…" He whispered softly. "When you finally recognize your dream, come to us and your desire shall be answered."

Tamaki gradually withdrew himself and smiled assuredly at the startled Usagi.

"Are you done?" Mamoru asked impatiently.

"Yes, thank you." Tamaki answered graciously.

Still holding onto his smile, Tamaki walked past Mamoru and unexpectedly spoke in a completely different tone; kingly and serious. "She's not your Star."

Mamoru startlingly turned around and eyed on Tamaki who had his back against him.

"Let's go, Usagi." Mamoru deciding to ignore Tamaki's comment pulled Usagi along. She tilled her head slightly catching a final glimpse at the quiet Seiya before leaving. Her eyes saddened at the diminishing sight of him and she decided to close her lids to prevent herself from turning back.

Seiya, on the other hand, made himself stare at the pebble on the floor not wanting to see Usagi leaving him. He was mentally suffering from an emotion of complexity. Inside him, the feelings of uncertainty, confusion, jealousy, rage and sadness just sort of twisted into one painful compound and he didn't know what to make of the complication. He was literally lost and did not understand his true desire at all.

"You are not acting like yourself…"

Seiya turned towards the serious voice immediately meeting Tamaki's violet eyes.

"What are you afraid of? That she's not the one you are looking for?" He asked in a tone of demand.

Seiya looked away quietly and exhaled before answering, "I don't wish to betray her… You should know that she's essential to me…"

"Isn't Usagi-san essential to you?" Tamaki asked, and his unexpected question hit Seiya by surprise as he stared wordlessly back at his brother who was once again smiling.

"She is, hm?" Tamaki answered confidently in Seiya's place and patted him on the shoulder, "I wonder why…"

Seiya smiled disbelievingly at his statement, "What are you trying to hint here?"

"Hmmm…"

Tamaki's lips curved into a more subtle smile as he faced the cloudy blue sky, "That the stars will shine and when they do… We shall all be together again… Definitely…"

--

* * *

--

"I'm sorry…" Usagi bowed apologetically before Mr and Mrs Chiba. "I truly thank you for taking care of me for the past year. But I can't stay or marry Mamoru, I'm very sorry…"

"Why… Usagi…" Mamoru was too startled by Usagi sudden announcement of departure.

"What ungratefulness…" Mrs Chiba commented in a scowl. "Is this how you repay us after we saved and took care of you?"

"I'm truly grateful for what everyone had done to help me and will never forget your kindness." Usagi answered sincerely. "If there's anything I can do to repay you, I would…"

"Then marry to our son." Mr. Chiba stated firmly. "You know how much Mamoru is in love with you. If you sincerely want to repay us, accept the marriage."

"This, I can't…" Usagi replied in a small voice.

"What an ungrateful girl." Mrs Chiba insulted in displeased. "We shouldn't have saved you back then and just let you die in the cold."

"I'm sorry…" Usagi apologized again softly.

"Mum! Stop it!" Mamoru exclaimed not wanting his mother to continue saying hurtful words to Usagi.

"I can't believe you, son. You are still defending her at a time like this!" Mrs Chiba snapped back.

"This is between me and Usagi…" Mamoru affirmed as he grabbed Usagi by her wrist. He pulled her out of the living room, ignoring his mother loud calls and closed the door behind them.

--

Once outside the hallway, Mamoru released his hold as Usagi earnestly apologized to him once more. "I'm sorry…"

"You know it's not your apologies that I want…" Mamoru holding onto Usagi arms stressed. "You should know what I want most…"

"I know…" Usagi glanced apologetically at him. "But, I'm sorry… I just don't belong here."

"There you go again…" Mamoru looked away out of irritation. "Are you going to tell me about your fantasy of Unicorn, Mermaids and Zodiac gods again? Usagi, I don't understand you. Such things don't exist…"

"You don't have to understand, Mamoru. Like I said, I don't belong here. You and I, we are from a different world and you can never understand my world." She bowed lightly. "I really appreciate everything you had done for me, your kindness, your thoughtfulness and your love. I'm sorry that I can't answer to any of your feelings, but I will never forget you…"

"Usagi…" Mamoru was caught speechless for words as he stared helplessly at the beautiful lady leaving his vision.

"I will be departing after my preparation."

Looking back at Mamoru with a half-tilled face, Usagi added with a smile. "Thank you for everything."

"Wait!" Mamoru called out to her. "Where will you be going from here?"

Usagi broke her step and answered, "To my desire…"

--

* * *

--

"Damn!" Mamoru took his frustration out by punching the tree trunk. "To her desire! What nonsense!"

He aimlessly treaded about his garden, kicking any objects that was blocking his path. He couldn't believe it. To know that she didn't love him despite all that he had done for her was definitely a huge knock back to his dignity. Adding to his injuries, she was about to leave him for some unknown desire and the worse part was that he couldn't do anything to stop her from leaving.

"Desire! What freaking desire!" He shouted aloud, kicking the garden chair angrily.

"Aries…" An unfamiliar voice answered.

Mamoru spun around and to his surprise found a brunette leaning against a thick tree trunk.

"Who are you? Outsiders are not allowed to enter without previous consent."

The stranger chuckled and approached Mamoru, "You don't have to sound so nasty. You can call me Rei... I am here to help you."

"Help me?" Mamoru creased his forehead slightly in confusion.

"Yes…" Rei moved closer towards Mamoru and whispered into his ear, "You want to keep her, don't you?"

"What!" Mamoru backed away, startled by her previous action and question.

"You heard me…" Rei smirked. "I can help you…"

Mamoru let out a laugh of disbelief. "How? And why must I believe you?"

"You can choose not to believe me and she will never be yours." Rei answered simply. "She's going back to her true love."

"True love?! What true love?!" Mamoru snapped.

"Aries…" Rei answered directly. "He's her lover."

"Aries?" Mamoru's eyes widened in both shock and disbelief, immediately remembering the time when Usagi told him about her strange dream that involved a Prince of God by the name of Aries. "What nonsense! Such person doesn't exist!"

"Whether he exists or not is not the main point here." Rei indicated. "The key focus is whether you are willing to become Aries."

"Become Aries…?" Mamoru repeated, totally confused by her intention.

"Yes…" Rei reaching for her right pocket withdrew a dull-sliver stone. Mamoru watched in astonishment as the normal-looking rock magically transformed into a large, crimson-red majesty looking gemstone.

"An Aries Stone replica…" She continued with an evil glint in her eyes as she directed the stone over to Mamoru.

"Now, listen to my instruction…"

--

* * *

--

Usagi looked around the room one last time reassuring everything was rightfully in place before picking up her small luggage and proceeded over to the door. Though she still couldn't recall anything, her mind and body was instinctively telling her to leave this place as soon as possible. She would rather be called ungrateful than to continue lying to herself. Secretly, she couldn't stand it, she felt deserted and isolated every time she stepped into this lonely room, this friendless house, and this insignificant world where she didn't belong in.

"_Seiya…"_

She badly wanted to see him and to ask him. Was he her true desire? Was he the one whom she was looking for all this while? Was he Aries?

Usagi reached for the doorknob and pulled it opened with a gentle twist.

"Mamoru?" Usagi gasped, surprised to find Mamoru standing by the entrance but what further shocked her was the sparkling red Starstone in his right hand.

"Is this your desire?" Mamoru questioned, directing the Starstone towards her so that she could have a closer look.

"The Aries Stone?" Usagi eyes widened in absolute disbelieve. _"Why? Why is the Aries Stone with Mamoru?"_

But before she could generate an answer in her head, she felt Mamoru's tight embrace. "I am Aries, Usagi. I am Aries…"

"Aries?" Usagi instantly froze unable to react due to shock.

"Stay with me…" Mamoru stated not allowing her to leave him. "I am the one you are looking for. I am Aries…"

Usagi didn't response. Her mind was banging with confusion and uncertainties. Mamoru was Aries? Impossible! What about Seiya then? He possessed an Aries Stone too right? Wait! What was happening? Why were there two Aries? Usagi found herself trapped in a disable state to think, move, or even breathe. What was going on here?

Who was the real Aries?

--

* * *

--

"_Welcome back, Taurus."_

An elegant lady watched as her little pure white bull mystically transformed into a Starstone of emerald green. She smiled a warm smile as she kissed the beautiful stone, "All these while, you were here by my side…"

"Michiru…?"

The girl turned towards the call surprised to find her old caretaker staring shockingly straight at her.

"You...?" The granny stumbled with her words too shaken by what she had just witnessed.

"Obaasan(Granny)…" Michiru called out, her eyes softened with a little grief.

She was sad to see the fear lingering in the eyes of the kind-hearted caretaker who unconditionally pampered her with many love and care.

"Obaasan, I'm sorry. Please don't be afraid of me. I meant no harm…" She took a step forward but her granny frightening backed away.

"Obaasan, there's something I need to tell you..." Michiru stopped a few feet away from her frightened granny.

"I have to return back to the place where I belong." She intimately glimpsed at the glowing Taurus Stone in her hand. "To my true family and friends..."

"So, this is a goodbye…" Michiru departed in a sad tone.

She stared concernedly at her foster grandmother for a second longer before turning away, "Take care, Obaasan."

"I am returning to the other Celestials."

--

* * *

--

_Credit: Tamaki Suou from Ouran High Host Club_

Honestly, I was initially thinking of updating it after the Love Legend, but a very cute reader mailed me constantly wanting me to update this for her 16th birthday, and so I did. Happy birthday, Serena. I hope you like this chapter, though there are quite a bit of suspend. Lol! Woot! 16… what a nice age. How I wish I am 16 :P. Yup, the rest of the zodiac signs will make their appearances later on as the story goes. I am getting so busy with work and couldn't post an update anytime soon. Yup! Leave me a **Review** as usual. I will read them when I've the time to! Thank you and Happy Birthday, Serena!


	3. Clover: You're My Lover

--

_Last Chapter:_

"_Obaasan, there's something I need to tell you..." Michiru stopped a few feet away from her frightened granny._

"_I have to return back to the place where I belong." She intimately glimpsed at the glowing Taurus Stone in her hand. "To my true family and friends..."_

"_So, this is a goodbye…" Michiru departed in a sad tone._

_She stared concernedly at her foster grandmother for a second longer before turning away, "Take care, Obaasan."_

_"I am returning to the other Celestials."_

--

* * *

--

**Clover: You're My Love**

**--**

Tamaki slid open the window for the twentieth times that night, glancing out at the direction where two guards stood robotically by the mansion gate, seemingly to be expecting someone.

"Your Excellency, if you're expecting Michiru, we'd know if she arrives. As for Usagi-san, she won't be coming tonight." Taiki informed simply.

Seiya almost choked on his coffee as he glanced up at Taiki and Tamaki, his eyes widening slightly at the second name mentioned.

His half-brother just smiled at his baffled expression before shouting childishly back at Taiki who had now returned his attention to the book he was reading.

"She will come!" Tamaki insisted.

"She won't." Taiki objected in a mono-tone.

"What makes you think she won't?" Tamaki demanded in a carefree manner.

"I just know." Taiki answered uncaringly.

To everyone's surprise, Tamaki simply grinned at his reply. "But do you know or not know that she's actually part of the celestial stars?"

Taiki lowered his book and looked at him coldly, but Tamaki just brushed it off with a silent grin, apparently to be immune to his piercing glare.

"Can someone please explain to me what's going on here?" Yaten sighed, breaking the awkward silence that his two friends had created.

He was confused, as usual, and couldn't understand what his friends were confronting about. He felt like an outcast whenever the subject of Heaven or Starstones was being brought up. It was bugging him that he could not recall anything other than his name, and whenever he tried to recall his past, he would only see a layer of thick mist covering it.

Who was he? Where was he from? And, who were they?

Those were the questions that lingered inside him throughout his every action and thought. It seemed like his three friends had already found most of their answers, but why hadn't he? He was sicked and tired of living through another day of lies with foster parents making up stories for his identity just to cover up for the lost of their biological heir from the media.

It was pretty absurd that he would choose to believe his friends' reasoning of godly stones and heavenly origins rather than his parents' explanation. Maybe it was because he had witnessed some of their powers being exhibited, or maybe because it was just his intuition telling him that they were part of him. But, whatever the reason was, he wanted to know more about Star stones, Heaven, and most importantly, them, because only by being with them could he feel a sense of belonging.

"Michiru is the holder of the Taurus stone. Now that we can remember her, it only meant that she has gotten back her Star stone, and knowing her capability, she shouldn't face much of a problem finding us…" Seiya explained briefly.

"And what about Usagi?" Yaten pressed.

Seiya froze at the question, not knowing how he should be answering him. His troubled expression clearly showed that he was baffled by the issue as well, and it didn't take everyone very long to realize that as the room once again turned quiet till Tamaki cut in and answered on behalf of Seiya.

"She's Seiya's special someone."

"She's not-…" Seiya paused abruptly, taking back his words.

Something didn't sound right. At least, that was what his body was telling him when it forcefully stopped him from opposing to the acclaim. He had avoided thinking about her all day, fearing that he might lose control of himself and dash over to wherever she was now to take her with him.

"It's not like you to be hesitating..." Taiki commented bluntly.

"Yes! The Councillor is right! Stop avoiding the matter and turn back to the arrogant brother you once were!" Tamaki demanded dramatically while grasping Seiya by his shoulders.

"Firstly, take your hands off me." Seiya retorted and lifted his brother's hands off his shoulder before adding. "And secondly, what do you expect me to do? Steal her away when she already has a boyfriend?"

"I don't see why you can't when you've already stolen the sacred Phoenix wings from poor Hephaestus." Taiki muttered, making Yaten widened his eyes at Seiya's accomplishment.

"I didn't steal it. I defeated him for it." Seiya corrected with a sigh.

"Then defeat that mortal as well and win Usagi-san back!" Tamaki insisted.

"Usagi is not a tool. I can't just ignore her feeling and act thoughtlessly…"

"Letting her go to a man whom she won't be happy with isn't thoughtful of you either…" Tamaki commented simply.

Seiya kept silent, not wanting to agree to what Tamaki had just said, but it turned out to be an unbelievably difficult task, seeing as he just realized how uncomfortable Usagi looked whenever she was around Mamoru. He remembered her unwilling expression when she was yanked away by him, and the worse of it all, he didn't do anything to stop it.

He closed his eyes and cursed under his breath. Sometimes, Tamaki could just say the most sensible things, despite his frequent senseless behaviour, and he wasn't wrong this time. How could he be so stupid? Why hadn't he noticed any of her feelings earlier, or at the very least, his own feelings toward her? He cared for her, and yet he was denying it just because he couldn't be unfaithful to his forgotten lover.

It was a strange thing. Though he couldn't recall her existence, he knew there was a girl he wanted to cherish as he glimpsed at the silver bracelet that was hooked around his left wrist. He stared quietly at the crystallized four-leaf clover dangling around it and a sacred phrase instantly flashed past his mind.

"_You are my lover."_

Though he couldn't recall anyone telling him that, it did gave him a soothing feeling, and it was this exact feeling he felt whenever he was near Usagi.

Without another word, Seiya got up from his seat and proceeded over to the door.

"You forgot this." Taiki reminded as he darted a piece of paper over to him.

Without looking back, Seiya caught the card easily with two fingers.

"Thanks." He muttered as he closed the door behind him.

"What was it that you gave him?" Yaten asked curiously.

"Usagi-san's address." Taiki answered plainly.

"And how did you get that?" Yaten asked suspiciously.

Closing his book, Taiki reached under his desk and dropped a mountain of documents before Yaten much to his surprise.

"Here." He pointed at the information papers that were at least two metres high.

"You got all these in one night?" Tamaki asked as he casually flipped through the students' and teachers' records.

"A hour and a half actually." Taiki corrected.

Unlike Yaten who was shocked speechless, Tamaki seemed awkwardly carefree by his reply. It was as though he had expected such reply, making Yaten wondered whether it was really that easy for someone to gather so much information in such a short period of time.

"So, did you find anyone interesting so far?" Yaten asked, browsing through the files of documents.

"This." Taiki replied, gesturing at the book he was reading.

Baffled, Tamaki and Yaten glanced over at the brown book that titled _the Circle of Stars_ on its cover and raised their brows at Taiki.

"This is the only astrology book I've read so far that mention the Crown of the Divinity. It even suggests that the disappearance of the stars was due to a betrayal among the zodiac guardians…" Taiki explained briefly.

--

"_According to a classical myth, the Crown of Divinity was the legacy of Heaven's domination. Normally referred to as the power and symbol of Zeus, it was believed that besides the Heavenly King himself, one could obtain the divinity circlet by collecting all the twelve star stones and uniting them together to achieve power so great that it would crown the beholder the supremacy to become the next dominator of Heaven." – Myth_

--

"A traitor?! Impossible! There's no way any of us, guardians, would side the rebellion group to take over father's throne!" Tamaki shrieked in disbelief.

"Then try explaining how we ended up in this filthy place, Your Excellency." Taiki argued calmly.

"Well, it could be because we are here for a vacation…" Tamaki nodded to himself.

"Right… A vacation…" Yaten agreed sarcastically.

Taiki shook his head with a faint grin as he glanced over to the author's name that was bolded with gold letterings at the bottom of the book cover.

"Ami Mizuno… hmm? This could be someone interesting…" He murmured with a confident smile.

--

* * *

--

Usagi lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling. Part of her wanted to run away from here, but the other half told her to stay. This day was filled with surprises and disbeliefs for her, and Usagi didn't know what to do anymore. She couldn't grab onto the situation. The fact that Mamoru had become the holder of the Aries stone was way too overwhelming for her to handle in that instant. She had previously pushed him out of the room, without listening to his explanation, but she regretted doing that now after clearing her thoughts.

There was no use laying here and continue doubting him. She should listen to his explanation, shouldn't she? With a toss of her legs, she was up. But instead of walking over to the door, she glanced over at a velvet box which lay on top of her nightstand. Once again, she reached out for the box and lifted the lid.

For a moment, all she could do was stared at what was inside. A thin silver bracelet that came with a beautiful four-leaf clover charm sat on the silky cushion. Usagi ran her fingers down the crimson red charm, still unable to believe that it was actually a gem instead of a real clover. It looked as though it had a life of its own, and secretly, she believed that it did. Though she couldn't remember where she got it or who it was from, she knew that this bracelet was really essential to her. She didn't dare to put it on, fearing that she might drop or lose it if she wasn't careful. Beside this, she had no other personal belonging in this world, and she would do anything to keep it safe by her side.

-Tap-

Usagi jerked, almost dropping the bracelet when she heard a light knock from the window. She grasped onto the box and took a step back at the tapping noise. Was it just the wind or was it a burglar trying to get in? But a burglar wouldn't come knocking, would he? So, it wasn't a thief then. Then, who or what could it be? Taking in some courage, she lifted the curtain just high enough to get a peek out of the window.

Her eyes doubled in size at the sight of Seiya seated on top of the big sakura tree just outside her room.

"Hey…" He smiled and greeted her lightly.

Usagi began to wobble unsteadily from disbelief, and she would probably have fallen back if Seiya hadn't leapt front and reached out for her in time. She was too shocked to see him here to say or do anything else other than stare into his eyes of concern. For a moment, she was tempted to reach out her hand and touch to see if he was just a figment of her imagination till his voice broke her trance before she did something embarrassing.

"Are you alright? Can you stand?" Seiya asked in concern, not knowing whether he should let her out of his embrace already.

Usagi nodded and gently pushed herself out of his hold, shying away from him.

"I'm sorry… Did I scare you?" He asked worriedly, seeing that she looked really uncomfortable at the moment.

But to his relief, Usagi just shook her head and glanced up at him curiously. "Why? What are you doing here? Ho-How did you get here?"

"I was flying around the city and I thought I should pay you a visit…" He answered with a smile.

"Eh?!"

Usagi threw him a shock look, totally taken back by his answer. Besides staring startlingly back at him once more, she didn't know how she should be reacting at that moment. She kept quiet, waiting for more of an explanation, but he just peered silently at her, studying her expression. It seemed to him that she was terribly disturbed by his presence though she had turned embarrassed after realizing that she was staring at him for a little too long.

"I'm sorry. I know I sound ridiculous. Sorry to be disturbing your rest… I'll be going now…" Seiya trailed off with an apology, ready to leave.

But, a hand caught him by his arm, locking him on the spot. Seiya spun around, surprised to see Usagi scrunched her face up in disagreement.

"Wait! Please don't go yet…" She pleaded softly before adding. "I've got something to ask you…"

He looked bafflingly at her and watched her lips quivered as though she was trying to convey an important message to him, but couldn't.

"What is it?" He asked gently.

Usagi opened her mouth to speak, but a loud knock on the wooden door interrupted her inquiry.

"It's me, Mamoru. I see that your light is on. Can we talk things out for a bit? I'll be waiting…"

Usagi flinched at his voice, her heartbeats rising in panic. She didn't know what she should do at that moment. There was no way she could let Mamoru in with Seiya here. He'd definitely report him for trespassing. But, as much as she didn't want Seiya to get into trouble, she didn't want to let him leave without clearing her doubt and feeling for him.

Seiya, on the other hand, was trying to suppress his dislike for the man calling out to Usagi. He didn't want Usagi to be seeing any other man besides him, but who was he to be demanding when he was clearly the intruder here? He looked away and out of the window as he tried to hide his jealousy from her.

"Oh… That's your boyfriend right? Sorry about the interference… I guess I really should leave now…" He muttered awkwardly.

"Seiya! Wait! D-Don't go! Please don't go!" Usagi pleaded as she managed to grab onto his arm before he could leap out of the window.

He looked back at her, slightly baffled by her action. He didn't understand why she would insist him to stay when her boyfriend was just outside the door waiting for her. Shouldn't she be chasing him out already? But instead, she pleaded him not to leave and he couldn't say no to her, not when she was putting up a near tear expression.

"Please hide here…" Usagi directed Seiya to the wall closet.

"What?" He frowned, obviously against the idea of hiding in a woman wardrobe, but Usagi had already closed the folding doors right before he could protest further.

"Hey…" Seiya opposed, opening the door slightly enough to peek at her dissatisfiedly.

Usagi enlarged her sparkling blue eyes at him, begging him to stay. "Please…! Just for a minute…"

Seiya sighed before nodding his head in defeat, not knowing how he could reject her earnest request.

"Thank you! Thank you, Seiya!" She beamed widely at him, making him blushed slightly at her beautiful grin.

She looked twice as beautiful when she smiled like that, and her grin was familiarly sweet and warm. Seiya wished she would keep smiling this way and not put up a dispirited expression most of the time. Any sign of grief just didn't suit her face at all.

He watched quietly from the tiny opening as Usagi went over to answer the door. She opened it slightly and glanced up at Mamoru standing by the doorway. He frowned at her, wondering why she was taking longer than usual to answer his call. From the looks of it, he knew she doubted him and it didn't seem like she was ready to accept him as her _Aries _anytime soon.

"Can we talk again tomorrow? I'm a little tired right now…" Usagi excused awkwardly.

"You have been hiding in your room for hours already. You know you can't stay in there and avoid me forever. Why can't you just hear me out?" Mamoru insisted and pushed the door opened before she could resist.

Usagi kept quiet, not knowing what else to do besides backing away and grasping onto the velvet box uneasily. She hadn't realized that she was still clinging onto the bracelet box till Mamoru pointed it to her.

"What's that you're holding?"

Quickly, her eyes shot down to the fist sized parcel. She smiled faintly to herself before carefully removing the lid of the box and held the bracelet up by the silvery chain, watching the red clover spin lightly in the air.

Seiya's eyes widened as his mouth dropped at the bracelet Usagi was holding. It was impossible. How could there be another bangle that looked exactly like the one he was wearing? He held his breath, his eyes remained fixed on the clover jewel the entire time till Usagi grabbed his attention with a question.

"Did you give me this?" She asked, gesturing the bracelet to Mamoru.

Mamoru glanced at it, guessing that it was just another jewel he had bought for her.

"Could be… I've bought you so many of those…" He replied uninterestedly.

Usagi smiled sadly at his answer. As expected, he wasn't the one who gave her the bracelet. She looked back at the dangling clover bangle, hoping that it would talk and give her an answer.

"They say that if you find a four-leafed clover and make a wish, your wish will come true. But do you know what a clover actually means?" Usagi asked him.

Mamoru sighed quietly. He was obviously unconcerned about the legend or myth of some insignificant flowers. There was only one thing he wanted, and that was her.

But Usagi was totally oblivious about his desire as she smiled faintly at the charm of a clover.

"It means...

… You are my lover."

Seiya froze as his ears swallowed Usagi's words. It was pleasantly familiar, from the way she said it to her tone and accent. Suddenly, it was difficult to breathe, and he couldn't think of anything other than what she had just said. His brain picked up those words, rearranging and repeating them until his heart was ready to jump out of his chest.

Was she the one? The mysterious lady who stole his heart away back in their world? The one girl whom he swore he would protect and love for eternity?

He took a step forward, but his brain disagreed with his action and yanked his leg back. If he was to go out now, he would cause nothing but trouble to Usagi. He clenched his fists, restraining himself from doing anything reckless at the moment.

"It's just a flower, Usagi. My only concern is you." Mamoru stressed.

Usagi glanced away, unsure of how she should be reacting to his so-called concern. It seemed like he didn't understand her at all. It wasn't just a flower. It was something far more important and valuable than any finest jewellery combined together. He never seemed to notice what she was bothered and concerned about. She was tired of pretending to be satisfied when, in reality, she couldn't even find anything to smile about.

"I don't know what to believe anymore…" Usagi muttered softly.

"But, I love you, Usagi. Why can't you believe that?" Mamoru pointed out.

Usagi kept quiet, shaking her head solemnly as she took a step back.

Growing impatient, Mamoru grabbed her by the shoulders, "I don't understand you! Why are you still avoiding me? Why can't you accept my feeling even after I've found the Aries stone that you've wanted?!"

Seiya flinched. Aries stone? What was he talking about? The Aries stone was his! He was its rightful holder. He couldn't see how anyone could obtain his Star stone without defeating him. But before he could come out with an appropriate explanation, his temperate raised with fury when he saw Mamoru pinning Usagi to the wall much to her reluctance.

"Let go, Mamoru! You are hurting me!" Usagi shrieked and placed her hands on his chest, shoving him away from her but he simply grabbed her by the wrists, restraining her from her withdrawal.

"Do you know how frustrating it is when you never once let me kiss or touch you?" Mamoru frowned.

Usagi glimpsed back up at him in time to see him leaned towards her to steal a kiss. But an attack came from behind, saving her, and the next thing she knew Seiya was already yanking Mamoru up by the collar of his shirt with a deadly look.

"Don't. Touch. Her." He demanded angrily.

While Usagi covered her mouth with her hands in shock, Mamoru stiffed in the air, too startled to even react, as Seiya mercilessly gripped him by the neck a second later.

Mamoru could feel his throat burning crazily. His heart beat started to speed up, begging him for oxygen. He struggled to break free, but Seiya's grip just seemed to tighten at his each attempt. He was killing him, and it seemed like there was nothing he or anyone could do to stop his cruel intention till Usagi pounced on him from behind.

"Don't! Seiya, please don't hurt him!" She begged while clinching onto him.

Seiya widened his eyes at her, obviously not understanding her plead. "You expect me spare him when he almost violated you?"

"You don't understand! He… He saved me! I owed my life to him! So, please let him go…" Usagi cried.

Seiya was weakened by the sight of her tears as he released his grip against Mamoru's throat, causing him to crash onto the ground while choking in pain. When he had gathered enough strength to steal a glimpse up at them, Seiya had already hoisted Usagi up in his arms.

Instead of resisting, Usagi clung onto Seiya still in tears. Everything just seemed to happen so suddenly and it left her feeling utterly lost. Besides the comforting words Seiya was murmuring to her, she could hear and believe nothing else. She couldn't hear Mamoru yelling out to her or see Seiya glaring back at him with flare burning in his eyes.

For Usagi's sake, he restrained himself from hurting Mamoru any further, and decided to take her with him. There was no way he was going to allow her to stay with a _boyfriend_ who almost raped her. Tamaki was right. He shouldn't have hesitated and let her go back then.

"I'm sorry…" Seiya breathed.

As soon as she heard his words, Usagi glanced bafflingly up at him. Why was he apologizing? She definitely couldn't find anything wrong that he might have done to upset her. Besides, he was the one who saved her. So, shouldn't she be the one apologizing or thanking him instead?

"Wa-wait!" Mamoru choked out as he struggled to stand back up.

He was never allowing them to escape like this. But before he could even run over to them, his body held itself back from the sudden unusual rise of room temperature. His eyes enlarged in disbelief as crimson red flame began to ignite from Seiya's back, forming a pair of huge fire wings like those of a phoenix.

Believing that he was going insane, Mamoru dropped back down to his bottom in absolute shock. Such illogical things shouldn't be happening. It couldn't be real! Yes, that was what he thought when the couple bizarrely vanished before him together with the surrounding flame.

--

* * *

--

Usagi gaped at the mystical creature carrying her as they flew over a forest of trees. She couldn't keep her eyes off him or his fiery wings. Her mouth opened to question him, but her vocal cords refused to function properly. He wasn't looking at her all these while, not knowing how he should be explaining himself.

He couldn't possibly tell her that he was actually a prince from Heaven, who for some reasons got separated from his Star stones and comrades, and ended up on an earth that talked only about science. Definitely, no one would believe that, and he wouldn't be surprise if she didn't.

Immediately, he descended when the city sight became visible. Usagi was still staring at him even after he had put out his fiery wings. He settled her down gently on the ground, hoping he hadn't invaded her personal space too much. But looking at her now, he could tell she was still overwhelmed by all that had happened.

"You can breathe now…" Seiya told her.

Usagi's cheek darkened as she became aware that she was holding her breath for the whole time. She released the air she had been restraining, breathing rapidly to catch up with the oxygen supply.

Seiya giggled at her reaction before extending his hand out to her. "We got to walk from here… I will lead the way."

Usagi stared at his hand for a second longer before timidly slipping her hand in his. "May I know who exactly are you?"

"I could ask you the same thing." He replied mysteriously with a smile.

She glanced up into his night blue eyes, not replying to his statement. How could she possibly answer him when she practically knew nothing about herself? Deep down, she really would want someone to tell her about her identity and who she really was.

"You are my lover…"

Usagi's face shot up at the quote. His words weren't the only thing that captured her attention. Something glimmering from his right wrist caught her eyes as well. She blinked when Seiya lifted their locked hands up to her eyes level. He carefully unfolded his sleeve, bringing the familiar bracelet into her view.

She gasped, not believing her eyes as she finally glimpsed down at the bracelet she was grasping in her left hand, only to find that they were indeed a pair. Calming down by a little, Usagi managed to swallow the lump forming in her throat and looked up at Seiya. She pointed at his bracelet, gesturing it to hers.

"Sa-same… Four-leaf clover…" She muttered, struggling to complete her sentence with no success.

Seiya simply smiled as he reached out and took the bracelet from her.

"A bracelet isn't for you to hold." He told her and hooked it around her wrist.

For a moment, Usagi could only stare at the silver bangle, unable to believe that something this beautiful would fix around her wrist so perfectly. Seiya, on the other hand, held her hand up, watching her clover charm spin around with his, both giving off beautiful sparkles, illuminating the site as star-like specks. It almost looked as though they had captured the night stars, sealing them around their hands.

"It looks perfect on you…" Seiya commented with a smile.

Usagi gawked at him blankly, too amazed to respond. She glanced down at their bracelets again and then resumed gazing at his face. Her jaw dropped as she unsuccessfully tried to speak. After a minute of pointless gaping and shutting her mouth, she nervously took a shallow breath.

Worried, Seiya touched her shoulder, only to have her almost fall over. Immediately, he kept his hands out towards, ready to catch her if her legs gave in, but seeing that she had managed to steady herself, he lowered his arms and gazed worriedly back at her.

"Are you the one who gave this to me?" Usagi finally asked, gesturing at her crimson clover charm.

He blinked in surprise for a second before smiling warmly back at her. "I would like to know too. Did you give me this clover bangle?"

"Eh? But, I asked you first…" Usagi replied, determined to get an answer from him.

Deep inside, she somehow knew it already, that they did exchange these clover charms somewhere before, but she wanted an assurance from him. According to legend, lovers who found a pair of four-leaf clovers together, and later exchanged them, was said to bind an emblem of eternity love between them. That would explain why she felt so comfortable with Seiya as soon as she had met her. She had a feeling that she would have trusted him with her life back then, regardless of the fact that her mind believed they had just met.

"Stay with me if you want to know the answer…" Seiya hinted, keeping a tight grip against her hand so she couldn't pull away from him no matter how hard she tried.

But little did he know, Usagi had no intention to evade from him. She couldn't, not when she was overly stunned to do anything besides blushing at his statement. Did he just ask her to stay with him? That couldn't be right, could it? Though she knew she was in no situation to reject him, she didn't wish to be a freeloader just because he had unconditionally offered her a place to stay.

"I'll work hard for it!" Usagi burst out suddenly.

"Work hard?" Seiya asked, giving her a baffled expression.

"The rent! I'll get a part time or something to pay for the rent!"

"You don't have to… really…"

"No! I must! You've helped me a great deal already! It'd be really horrible of me to keep depending on you for everything!" Usagi insisted.

"Odango, that wasn't what I meant…"

"Eh?" Usagi squeaked, obviously not understanding his words.

He raised his brows at her before sighing in defeat. "You are really dense, aren't you?"

Usagi stared innocently back at him as though she was still trying to figure him out.

"Never mind…" Seiya shook his head with a smile as he led her out of the deserted field. "It's fine, as long as I know that you are the one…"

Usagi blinked at his remarks, and her eyes instantly settled themselves on their locked hands, observing the beautiful specks that were given off by the bracelets they were wearing.

"Seiya, I feel like I've known you for all my life…" She breathed, still staring down at the clover charms.

"What did you said?" Seiya stopped his steps and asked, not catching her words.

Usagi shook her head as she looked into his dark blue orbs with a pleasant smile. "Will you fly me around the city the next time round?"

Seiya smiled at her request, before leaning over to her ear and whispered. "I'll bring you around the world... and to wherever you want to go… That is… If you allow me to…"

His words lingered in her ears, and suddenly, she felt the urge to wrap her arms around him, but decided to restrain herself so as to save her from the embarrassment. This feeling, it was so intense, the attraction so strong that it started to scare her. It left her incapable of doing anything else besides nodding her head with a faint blush.

"Let's get going, shall we?" Seiya stated and turned around to focus on the horizon in front of him, trying to keep her from seeing his overjoyed expression.

It was pretty obvious that even though neither of them could remember each other, their bodies still do. Deep inside, they secretly hoped that one day they would regain what was lost and finish their journey together. That would be a dream come true.

--

* * *

--

"These replicas are really worthless…" Akito commented, staring blankly at the tiny crack on the blue Star stone.

"What do you expect? This is just a reproduction. It can never replace the real thing." Jadeite pointed out while adding more food to his plate. "You're not eating?"

"I've lost my appetite just by looking at this." Akito stated as she crushed the replica into tiny grey fragments.

"Will you stop insulting my experiment, Akito?" Tomoe walking into the dinning room, groaned.

"If you could make us a Star stone as powerful as the guardian's… I might reconsider using it as my power." She retorted uncaringly.

"Why you-..."

"Don't start, Tomoe…" Zoisite from the other end of the table pointed his fork at him. "You know you can never win someone with the bloodline of a gorgon."

--

"_In Greek mythology, __a so called gorgon was a vicious female monster with power so strong that anyone with the attempt to look upon her would be turned into stone." – Story's myth._

--

Tomoe looked away, frustrated by the fact that he couldn't defeat Akito just because he was only a half-demon, unlike her.

A short moment of silence passed before the phone started to ring. Tomoe went over to the booth, picking it up at the third ring, and a familiar, ominous voice greeted him.

"Hello…?"

"Hello… Tomoe-san… It's Rei here… I've found the guardians…"

--

* * *

--

Scattered across the tables were over a hundred of magazines and newspapers all posting the different available jobs in Tokyo. While Usagi was gratefully thanking Taiki for the huge stack of employment articles, Seiya was scanning through the pile in displease.

"You are actually serious about getting a part-time?" Seiya frowned.

Usagi nodded, "Of course! I've got to earn my own saving for school and the rent…"

"You really don't have to…" He sighed.

"No! I must-…!"

"Can the two of you please not start it again? You've been arguing about this matter ever since you step in here." Yaten interrupted.

"Precisely!" Tamaki agreed with a nod. "I don't get what you are fussing about, Seiya. In this era, it's perfectly fine for a lady to work for her own pocket money. Besides, such discipline from Usagi is supremely admirable."

"I didn't ask for your opinion, Tamaki. Besides, you should know how dangerous it is to be working in this society. All these jobs got no insurance or whatsoever!" Seiya retorted.

"Usagi-san will do fine. So, stop acting like an overprotective husband, Seiya." Tamaki stated in a carefree manner.

"Eh? Husband?" Usagi squeaked in shock, while Seiya glowered at him with a death glare.

But Tamaki seemed to ignore his deadly look. He swiftly grabbed an article from the pile and presented it to Usagi, telling her to take up the job as he knew the director there. This made Seiya glanced over at the piece of employment, not trusting Tamaki's recommendation. And, as expected, his eyes widened with objection.

"What makes you think she'll be a whole lot safer working in a Cosplay Café?" Seiya burst out.

"Calm down, my dear brother! This isn't any ordinary Cosplay Café. It's one of the capital's biggest restaurants, managed by my best friend, Kyoya Ootori, whose family owned hundred over restaurants and hotels around the world. Just to let you know, they only serve the rich and the famous… and they come with the best insurance just for the sake of you and Usagi-san…" Tamaki explained light-heartedly.

"And what sort of insurance could that be?" Seiya asked, eyeing suspiciously at his brother.

"Of course, it would be none other than the charming ME."

"You. Are. The. Worse. Insurance. Ever!" Seiya responded through gritted teeth.

He would have beaten his senseless brother up if it wasn't for Yaten who held him back in time. A Cosplay restaurant was definitely the last place Seiya would want Usagi to work in. Knowing that she would look ridiculously cute in a maid or some other cosplay costumes, he was more than certain that she would have a rough time servicing customers whom needed to be treated as masters in the café.

But Usagi, on the other hand, was totally oblivious about his worries as she gratefully accepted the offer from Tamaki. She thought it was a great idea to be helping out in one of Tamaki's friend's café, and besides, the salary there looked attractively good for a part-time.

Seiya opened his mouth to protest, but as soon as he saw the happy look Usagi was giving him, his will to do anything that didn't coincide with her wishes just disappeared. How could he argue with an angel who looked so innocently overjoyed? The answer was simple. He couldn't. As much as he didn't like the idea of her working in a cosplay café, he didn't want to see her get upset over his mere rejection either.

He would respect her decision, even if it meant that it would leave him with no other choice but to watch over her during her work shift. Obviously, there was no better way to do this besides working by her side.

--

* * *

--

Mamoru stormed into the classroom angrily and approached his seat, ignoring anyone who tried to talk to him. He was in a foul mood. Actually, he had been irritated after he dreamt of Seiya taking Usagi away from him, and his spirits only seemed to worsen after waking up to find that she had indeed left him. He hadn't seen Usagi in over a week now. She hadn't come to school since the day she left, and neither did the three Kous.

He had no idea what to think, or where she was. But, he knew that even if he had found her, she might not forgive him for his thoughtless action the other night. That was why she left him right? He couldn't find any other reason that would make her leave. He even got the Aries stone she wanted! So, why wasn't she satisfied and allowed him to have her?

So absorbed in his own thoughts, Mamoru didn't even notice when the classroom door opened. He only looked up when he heard a familiar voice greeting Koichi Sensei. He was surprised to find Taiki standing in front of the classroom. He was accompanied by a new female student with long, wavy green hair. She looked pleasantly graceful, her eyes still staring at Taiki as he handed over a note to their homeroom teacher.

For a second, Koichi Sensei just widened his eyes in surprise before he nodded at Taiki and turned to the class with an announcement.

"Listen up, class! We have a new student with us today! Her name is Michiru Kaioh! I would like everyone to treat her well."

Michiru bowed before the class with a pleasant smile, enticing most of the boys in the classroom. "Watashiwa Michiru desu. Yoroshiku (I'm Michiru. Nice to meet you)."

After her greeting, she proceeded to the back of the classroom with Taiki and took the two empty seats by the window. Mamoru turned his head over his shoulder and glared at Taiki, but Taiki didn't even bother to look his way as he whispered something to Michiru.

Michiru nodded a few times before pulling out a pink notebook and began taking down notes as Koichi began to speak.

Mamoru's eyes enlarged in surprise when he realized that the notebook Michiru was writting on belonged to Usagi. Why was Usagi's notebook with the new student? It seemed to him that both Taiki and Michiru knew where Usagi was, but wasn't informing him. And, that indeed bothered him to no end.

As soon as the bell ended, Mamoru was out of his seat. He headed to the back of the classroom in determination to clear things up with them and locate Usagi's whereabouts.

"Why is Usagi's notebook here with you?" He asked Michiru directly.

But instead of replying him, she closed the book and glanced over at Taiki for permission. "Should I answer him, Great Sage?"

"Don't bother." Taiki told her bluntly, his eyes still glued to the book he was reading.

Mamoru slammed his hand on Taiki's desk, yelling. "Don't ignore me! I know Seiya Kou took Usagi away when I wasn't around! Tell me where she is!"

"And, why must I?" Taiki asked coolly, flipping a page.

"I'll kill you if you don't!"

"Can you?" Taiki challenged.

Mamoru's temperature rose with fury at his reply. His hands were already clenched into tight fists, ready to strike at the man seated before him. Taiki, despite reading his intention, didn't even budge. He just remained seated there, totally absorbed by the book he was reading, as the entire class turned their attention to the on-going commotion.

It took Mamoru a full minute to actually calm himself down as he smirked down at Taiki. "Fine! I will just report Seiya Kou for abducting Usagi then, and let the police handle it."

This brought Taiki to finally look up at him with a deadly glare. Michiru shook her head disapprovingly at Mamoru, knowing that this foolish man had just provoked the most dangerous and unforgiving guardian among the twelve zodiacs.

She watched as Taiki abruptly got up and settled his right hand on Mamoru's shoulder, making him stiffened at the huge impact. Suddenly, his legs turned weak from the force as he struggled to keep his stance. What with this ridiculous among of weight? It was as though he was carrying a mountain on his shoulder. And, when he finally looked up, he found himself staring into a pair of malicious, violet orbs.

Taiki pulled Mamoru closer and his body obediently swayed towards him till he was whispering into his ears, "You can try bothering Seiya, and I swear I'll make your life so miserable that you wish you were never born."

If his mind hadn't gone blank a second ago, it sure did now. He wanted to retort back to his statement, but his brain couldn't give any command. It was as though Taiki had frozen his mentality or something, and he could do nothing now other than stared fretfully at his mysterious grin.

Soon, he felt the weight on his shoulder disappeared as Taiki released his grip. Mamoru struggled to keep his stance as Taiki walked past him without another word and exited the classroom with Michiru, leaving everyone in deep silent.

--

* * *

--

Yaten hurried out of the building, clutching onto his fists. Only an hour had passed, and he had already lost sight of Tamaki. While Seiya had been helping Usagi to settle down with her new home and work, Yaten had been through a busy week of babysitting Tamaki. It sure was a tiring task to watch over such a hyperactive creature that kept pestering him, every now and then, to tour him around the country. To make matters worse, Tamaki would always get discovered by his fans, despite his disguise, and they would end up running from the gang pursuit for hours. So, losing him now could be a blessing after all.

He sighed, deciding to head back home without Tamaki. Glancing up at the sky, he realized that he'd have to hurry. There were huge storm clouds gathering above. By the looks of it, it didn't look like he'd be able to make it home before it began to rain. Soon, pellets of rain fell to the ground in a light drizzle. People were either running for shelters or pulling out their umbrellas. As for Yaten, he decided to run in the rain, not bothering to wait under a shelter or enter a nearby store to purchase an umbrella.

Being in the rain was a whole lot better than to stick with the crowd. He never liked the city mass, but after all the unpleasant experiences he had with Tamaki involving mobs, he hated them more than anything now.

He didn't bother to call for a cab or his chauffeur, since he knew the shortest route to his house from the street he was running in. He turned into the forest and quickened his steps despite the slippery ground. The rain fell harder and faster with the droplets slapping his already frigid skin more rapidly than before. Nevertheless, he kept his face forward, only to stop when he spotted a blurry figure floating by the large, freshwater loch that he was passing by.

The speed at which the rain was falling at created a wet veil over his surrounding, making it hard to see. What was it that was coming out of the lake? For a second, he actually hoped that it was a sea monster since he had always wanted to see one after hearing and reading so many myths about them. But his fantasy was soon destroyed when it discovered the dark silhouette had the shape of a human.

The rain soon lightened as the obscure figure came closer to the shore he was standing. To his amazed, the lake was surfaced with fishes popping their heads out of the water while they continue to surround the approaching silhouette.

Curious, Yaten took a step forward, only to freeze when he realized that a girl was actually in the lake flooded with colourful fishes. Her glittering blue eyes seemed to be skimming around the water surface, seemingly to be looking for something. Her expression looked blank but troubled as she continued to scan through her surrounding hopelessly.

"Hey! Are you alright over there?" Yaten asked aloud, not knowing how he should be approaching a girl in a lake, not to mention one with a flood of fishes in it.

She turned towards the source of his voice, and he saw a clear feature of her for the first time. Yaten's mouth dropped open in awe as he stared blankly at the divine beauty before him. Even the falling rain couldn't hide her fair and smooth complexion, and damping her golden locks with droplets only made her looked more beautiful than she already was. For a second, Yaten actually thought she was a mermaid from the ocean till he saw her walking out to the bank on two feet.

"I couldn't find my Star stone…" She told him, in a relatively sad voice.

She was approaching him with shaky legs, but Yaten was too stunned to do anything besides keeping his hands out towards her, ready to catch her if her legs gave in. But for the next few seconds, she just stood a close distance away from him, eyeing at him with a painful look.

"I couldn't find my Star stone… where is it? Do you know where it is?" She repeated sadly, hoping that he would answer her.

The sadness in her eyes brought a sudden grief into his soul and his body winced in pain just by looking at her. If he knew a way to make her feel better, he would have killed for the answer already. He didn't understand why it hurt to see her looking this sad. Was it simply out of pity? Or was it because of something else? Whatever it was, the feeling was strong, so strong that his body moved on its own accord, supporting her into his arms when her legs finally gave in.

He called out to her worriedly, but she just stared back at him wordlessly, the misery in her eyes refused to vanish. Avoiding her miserable stare, Yaten managed to think logically as he reached for his cell phone in his pocket. He took it out wanting to call for help, only to realize that there wasn't any reception in this remote area.

Cursing under his breath, he decided to pick her up, but was interrupted by a loud call from behind.

"Minako!"

Yaten turned his head towards the call, only to find a tall girl running towards them while eyeing worriedly at the beauty in his arms.

"Haruka, Naru! Minako is here! I've found her!" the girl shouted out to her two friends behind her as the group scurried across the muddy field towards them.

The second they dropped down besides them, Haruka protectively took Minako over from Yaten, eyeing suspiciously at him.

"Who are you? And, what have you done to Minako?" He demanded.

"I did nothing! She was already like this when I found her…" Yaten half-shouted at his accuse.

Dropping his fury for a moment, Haruka eyed worriedly at Minako while her two friends called out to her. She stared blankly at them before grabbing onto the girl on her left.

"Makoto! The stars... I saw the stars falling into a lake! I really did!" She told her friend desperately before adding sadly. "But, I couldn't find any of them… I couldn't…"

"Please Minako… forget about the Star stones… they don't exist…" Haruka stressed, not wanting to see his friend get overly upset over the matters anymore.

Minako shook her head, "No, I can't…"

"You can!" Makoto encouraged. "Just as long as you stop thinking about it…"

"Yes, listen to Makoto. You got to stop stressing yourself over such things… Star stones aren't real…" Naru added.

"They are! They are real! They exist! They really do… Why can't anyone just believe me?" Minako cried softly, her voice weakening.

The pain of being force to lose her memory, her identity, and her life she previously had was unbearably torturing. It was a painful torment that left her with nothing except for this small belief. But why? Why was it so that everyone, even the people she grew to treasure and trust, want to destroy her only hope to remain sane? Why couldn't there be someone who would believe her?

"I believe you…"

All eyes flew to Yaten as he repeated those words, "I believe you…"

Minako's eyes widened at his statement, not believing what she had just heard. She watched as his lips curved into a gentle smile. Though she knew nothing of him, not even his name, she somehow knew he wasn't lying. Even if he was, she would still feel happy to hear someone telling her that. At the very least, he didn't try crushing her belief. But instead, he was intending to grant it for her much to everyone's astonishment.

"And, for this... I shall get your Star stone back for you…"

--

* * *

--

_Credit: Akito from Fruit Basket__, Kyoya from Ouran High Host Club_

Gosh! I've finally updated this story as requested! Ya, it had been a year, at least, since my last update. Like promised, I did come back to this after my completion for the Love Legend, and in return, I hope you guys did enjoy this chapter. I've received a couple of emails requesting for my stories to be translated to Spanish. And, yes, I've actually approved it, so that readers who are unfamiliar with English could read them as well. I've allowed Kiara Kou to translate the NPA. So, do give her some support :). I wanted to learn Spanish too. It's such a beautiful language. But, I've a terrible gene in language, and sadly, I can't find anything time for it. I hardly have the time to write or complete a chapter with my tight work scope, so the next update you will see from me will probably be a month or two later. Oh well…

Leave a review before going! Thanks for reading!


	4. Doubt and Trust

--

_Last Chapter:_

_The pain of being force to lose her memory, her identity, and her life she previously had was unbearably torturing. It was a painful torment that left her with nothing except for this small belief. But why? Why was it so that everyone, even the people she grew to treasure and trust, want to destroy her only hope to remain sane? Why couldn't there be someone who would believe her?_

"_I believe you…"_

_All eyes flew to Yaten as he repeated those words, "I believe you…"_

_Minako's eyes widened at his statement, not believing what she had just heard. She watched as his lips curved into a gentle smile. Though she knew nothing of him, not even his name, she somehow knew he wasn't lying. Even if he was, she would still feel happy to hear someone telling her that. At the very least, he didn't try crushing her belief. But instead, he was intending to grant it for her much to everyone's astonishment._

"_And, for this... I shall get your Star stone back for you…"_

--

* * *

--

**Doubt and Trust**

**--**

Haruka stepped on the accelerator impatiently, speeding and swerving past a slower car a few feet ahead. He ignored the annoyed honks he received as he dodged three other vehicles and drove past a red light, almost manoeuvring into the wrong lane and hitting a man trying to cross the street just to get further ahead. He was speeding by ridiculously, and both Naru and Makoto almost freaked as they witnessed his speedometer hovered at three digit speeds.

"I know you are a top racer, Haruka. But this is not a race track. Can't you drive below the speed limit?" Naru asked as tried to steady her erratically beating heart.

"Yes, please do. I don't want to die young." Makoto urged from behind.

"Don't worry, I'm good at avoiding accident." Haruka denied simply as he increased the speed, making Naru and Makoto screamed in fright.

He wasn't willing to slow their journey down seeing that Minako was terribly drenched in the backseats. And, as much as he didn't want her to get a cold, he didn't like the fact that she was resting her head on Yaten's shoulder.

Yaten, on the other hand, didn't seem concern with the ridiculous speed Haruka was driving at as he peeped at the beauty next to him every few seconds only to look away uneasily when her eyes met his. Neither of them had spoken a word to one another ever since they had gotten into the car.

To be precise, Yaten didn't even know what had made him agree to join a group of strangers back to their apartment. It could be because he was feeling responsible for being the one who convinced her to leave that lake. And she seemed to have developed a trust for him after hearing what he had said. Though he had managed to calm her down, he was feeling rather guilty for saying something irresponsible. It wasn't right to tell someone that he would get her Star stone back when he couldn't even retrieve his.

Yaten sighed quietly at the thought of this and turned his head up towards the rear mirror only to notice Haruka glaring back at him. His stern stare posted a _'keep your hands off Minako'_ message, making Yaten glowered silently back. Noticing the sudden tense atmosphere around them, Naru and Makoto switched their gazes back and forth between Haruka and Yaten. Neither of them had stopped glaring at one another till Haruka stomped on his brake upon arriving at their destination.

He got off of the driver's seat immediately, ignoring Naru's protest over his sudden braking, and opened the back door to reach in for Minako.

He extended his hand out to her, smiling gently, "Are you alright, Minako? Can you walk?"

Minako nodded quietly at the statement and reached her hand out for his with a pleasant smile that took Yaten by surprise. Maybe because it was his first time seeing her smile, or maybe it was just how beautiful she appeared to be with that rare expression, but he simply couldn't keep his eyes off her as she slid her hand into Haruka's and got off the vehicle.

Makoto urged Yaten to follow as she pulled him out of the car and into the large building. Yaten reluctantly followed, stepping through the entrance of the old apartment and soon found himself facing a fierce looking old lady yelling at someone on the phone behind the counter. She immediately hung up upon seeing them, dropping her anger, and ran towards Minako with a worried expression.

"Where have you been, Minako-chan? We've been searching everywhere for you."

"I'll explain to you later, Obassan. We've got to warm her up first…" Haruka directed.

"Yes, yes… Definitely! You'll need a bath too, Minako-chan." Obassan agreed as she guided the quiet Minako down the dim hallway and to her room which lay at the end of the corridor.

Once they were out of sight, Makoto turned to Yaten, asking him to change to a set of dry clothes. But before Yaten could opened his mouth to reject, Makoto and Naru had already pushed him up the stairs and into Haruka's room much to his reluctance.

Though Haruka was feeling as unwilling as Yaten was, he didn't thought it was a good idea to keep him standing there in wet clothes. Minako won't be happy to see that, and it was morally wrong of him to refuse to help just because he suspected his motive. But, who could blame his distrust when practically every guy that Minako came into contact with would find any means possible to possess her? It wasn't easy protecting her from her pursuers, and Haruka definitely didn't need to meet another guy who would cause more trouble for him and Minako.

"Here." He tossed an outfit over and Yaten caught it easily with one hand.

"Thanks." Yaten muttered plainly as Naru directed him to the bathroom.

She retreated back to the bedroom a second later to join Haruka and Makoto. They were debating over getting lunch for Minako till Yaten returned fifteen minutes later with his long, silvery hair let hanging down his shoulders and wearing the grey jeans and black shirt Haruka had given him. He didn't seem to notice their stares as he continued folding the long sleeves of his slightly over-sized shirt and the legs of his jeans to the appropriate length. He finally looked up at them when he was done tidying, only to meet Makoto's and Naru's faint red faces.

Wait!

This was the same guy whom they had just met with Minako an hour ago right? So, what took them so long to realize that he was actually very charming? And, they ought to be blind to have overlooked his beautifully long sliver hair that stood out from the common mass. He definitely wasn't like any other 'Minako's pursuers' that they had met before. This had the two girls now thinking twice about wanting to prevent him from coming over to see Minako.

Their eyes continued to follow him across the room as he packed up his belongings and walked over to Haruka who was now leaning against the door, clearly blocking the exit.

The two boys eyed at each other wearily for a second more before Yaten shrugged at his crude attitude.

"I'll wash and return your clothes… don't worry…"

"Don't have to. You can keep or throw them for all I care. Just keep your hands off Minako and don't ever come back here." Haruka demanded as he took three steps over to Yaten, but he was immediately pushed back by both Makoto and Naru who screamed their voices out in objection.

"No! Don't listen to him, Yaten-san. We welcome you here anytime and I'm sure Minako-chan will be glad to see you around too." Naru told Yaten with a big smile while restraining Haruka from any protest.

"No, she won't…!" Haruka opposed before Makoto covered his mouth with her hand forcefully to keep him from offending Yaten any further.

Yaten continued staring at them with a perplexed look on his face. So, do they still want him to return the clothes or not? He watched as Makoto and Naru absurdly suppressed Haruka to the floor while hissing something to him. The three of them fought meaninglessly for a few more seconds before stopping when they heard a soft knock on the door.

The trio stumbled to get back up as Yaten thoughtfully walked over to the door and opened it, surprised to find Minako standing by the doorway. She was looking as astonished as he was, unable to say or do anything else besides staring back at him in disbelief. For the next minute, the two of them just stared speechlessly at one another till a hand came waving in from between, drawing their attention.

"Hello? How long more do the both of you plan to keep staring at each other?" Makoto extended her hand out between them and waved.

"Sorry…" Yaten and Minako muttered together, both looking away with a faint blush.

Minako could feel her stomach turned. She had supposedly came to apologize for all the trouble caused, yet why did she feel so nervous all of the sudden? She clutched onto the bottom of her skirt anxiously and took a deep breath before looking back up at Yaten in the eyes. But before she could even voice an apology, Haruka shoved his way past Yaten, cutting in between them on purpose.

"You came just on time, Minako. We were just about to go over and ask you what you'd like for lunch."

Minako simply shook her head with a smile, "You don't have to get anything for me, Haruka. I'm not hungry…"

"But, you have nothing for breakfast today." Haruka pointed out worriedly.

"That's not true… I had three strawberries this morning." She argued in a murmur.

Her three friends sighed at her answer, not understanding how she could even consider strawberries as her breakfast. Obviously, she wasn't even eating enough for a five-year-old, and her refusal to consume any food was what that worried them.

"Minako-chan, you probably know better than we do that you've hardly drunk or eaten enough for the past few days… Please promise us that you'll eat more now. We don't want to see you collapsing from exhaustion again." Makoto told her firmly.

Minako nodded her head quietly, but she could not look at her friends in the eyes. She knew where this conversation was going. If their words hadn't given the direction away, their expressions sure did. They seemed to be angry, disappointed, yet concerned, all at the same time. She had given them nothing but trouble for the past weeks, running about in search for her Starstone. It wouldn't surprise her if they thought she was a freak for stressing over something that was believed to be a myth, and in a way, she'd admit, she was.

But, it was hard not to go after her dream, to stop pursuing the Starstone that held all the answer to her uncertainties. It was not like she didn't want to eat or sleep properly. She simply couldn't without clarifying her doubt about herself. In the end, she was just a freak who couldn't even bring herself to eat normally, wasn't she?

"May I suggest a restaurant that might satisfy your appetite, Minako-san?"

Minako glanced up at Yaten with a surprise expression. Clearly, she wasn't expecting him to offer any suggestion to aid her bad eating habit. While both Makoto and Naru looked equally surprised, Haruka was definitely not looking pleased with Yaten's suggestion, whatever or wherever it maybe. But before he could protest, Naru and Makoto cut in with anticipation.

"Yes! Please bring us along!"

--

* * *

--

Meanwhile at the Ootori restaurant, Seiya was waiting impatiently for Usagi to step out from her dressing room. It was their first day of work, and unlike Usagi, Seiya was quick at getting himself dressed up as a butler working for the cosplay restaurant.

"You are taking forever, Odango-chan…" Seiya called out, knocking on her door.

"But this maid costume looks weird on me…"

"You can always quit now if you don't like it…" He answered back slyly.

"No! I don't want to quit!"

"Then come out already…"

"No! You'll laugh at me!"

Seiya sighed at her persistence but decided not to argue with her any further. Instead, he placed his hands gently against the door and pleaded her in a soft whisper.

"I won't laugh, I promise… So, would you please let me be the first one to see you in a cosplay dress? Please?"

Usagi was quiet for a moment, finding her will to do anything that didn't coincide with his wishes disappearing. His gently sweet, pleading voice of sympathy weakened her. How could she argue with this incarnation of a grieving angel? He knew very well that she could never disagree with him whenever he sounded upset. And as expected, Usagi unlocked the door, peeping out for a bit only to gape at the guy before her.

It was impossible not to froze after seeing how irresistibly charming he was in the butler suit, and it did take her quite some time to realize that he was also staring back with a pleasant smile. She blushed at the attention he was giving her and waited for him to get started with his work or stop staring at least. But from the overly amused expression he was giving her, it didn't seem like he was willing to start work any time soon.

"Seiya! Don't just stare! You are supposed to be out there serving the customers!" Usagi shrieked, wishing that he would stop looking at her already.

"But, I'd rather be at your service, Odango." He smiled teasingly.

Usagi flushed and turned away at his remark, "What are you saying? I'm not one of the customers! So, stop staring at me and get to work!"

She quickly darted away from him, not knowing if she could handle looking at him without blushing further. He had not only stolen her heart, but her self-esteem as well. She thought she looked really silly standing beside someone as perfect as him while wearing an embarrassing maid costume. But little to her acknowledgement, Seiya secretly thought she looked downright adorable at that moment.

"_She's just so cute…"_ Seiya smiled to himself, following Usagi out of the staff room while, at the same time, putting on his dark tailcoat.

He had finished buttoning and fixing his butler uniform by the time they arrived at the restaurant's reception area where guests were seen piling in a straight line. They were warmly welcomed by the many staff maids and butlers presently working at the moment. Usagi quickly joined in the formality, walking up to the next group of customers and greeting them with a friendly smile much to Seiya's displease.

"Irasshaimase, goshujinsama. (Welcome, Masters) This way please…"

It didn't take Seiya very long to realize how much attention Usagi was grabbing to herself as compared to the other staffs. Almost all the men in the restaurant had their eyes on her as she took their orders and brought their cuisines. Some even went to the extent of wanting her number and a photo taken together.

Seiya watched from a table away how Usagi would politely decline any requests that revolved around her personal life and space. Though she knew that she'd receive bonus for doing all these '_additional services'_, she didn't want a stranger going that close to her and taking her photo especially with Seiya around. He didn't seem to look very pleased each time those men tried to get intimate with her. Or maybe, it was just her imagination since she couldn't find any reason why someone as admirable as him would be bothered about her when there were plenty of gorgeous ladies gawking over him?

Still, Usagi couldn't help but glanced over to Seiya, and she smiled a bit when she noticed how his eyes would return to hers every other second while he took orders from his flirtatious female customers. She could tell he was telling her to be careful. Usagi beamed ever so sweetly at him to let him know she understood, causing a group of men from another table to start whistling at her adorable expression.

Seiya swore he would have slit various throats with the dinning utensils he was carrying if Usagi hadn't gone over to the gang and apologized for no apparent reason. That rare smile was meant for him! No one was supposed to comment or even look at it! But, he had clearly stated that he was working here with her. If he caused trouble then, there would be no doubt Usagi would be sacked as well. He couldn't do that to her. She needed the job and he needed to be here to protect her.

With it, he continued to watch the next table of men carefully as if he suspected that they would rape Usagi if he looked away. Usagi looked as if she trusted them despite they were questioning her about her personal life. As usual, she was being too credulous for her own safety which was what that worried Seiya.

He couldn't afford to keep his eyes off her and was absolutely unbothered to treat the ladies in the restaurant friendly. But despite his lack of friendliness, he was still the most popular butler around. Every lady wanted his service, finding his uncaring attitude amazingly cool. The unapproachable aura he gave off just made them want to know him more, and they were willing to pay any price just to take a photo with him. Knowing this, Kyoya Ootori, the manager approached Seiya with an offer.

"Seiya-san, I'll increase your pay each time you let them take a photo of you."

"How about we put it this way? I'll give you a hundred and you take a photo with them on my behalf?" Seiya smiled sarcastically.

To his surprise, Kyoya didn't back off from his remarks but placed his hand on his shoulder instead, grinning slyly. "Very well. How about this? You let them snap a shot of you, and I'll increase Usagi-san's pay."

Seiya widened his eyes for a bit at the proposal, before he let out a quiet sigh of defeat. This guy was really something, and somehow he reminded him of the scheming Taiki. He should have known that he wasn't just an ordinary manager since he could tame and endure having a hyperactive best friend like Tamaki.

"By ten percent for each shot…" Seiya demanded as he walked over to the first table of ladies requesting for him.

"Twenty. With a smile…" Kyoya offered aloud.

Usagi made her way out of the kitchen with a large platter in her hand. She peeped around the door frame to call one of her colleague over, but her words were caught in her throat when she noticed a table of girls wrapping their hands around Seiya's arms and he was smiling at them as they did. Unlike a moment ago, he didn't seem to mind taking photo or showing his friendlier side to the female clients anymore. He almost appeared pleased doing so.

Suddenly, Usagi felt sour inside her. She didn't understand this feeling, but it was terribly uncomfortable and she didn't know what to do besides freezing by the kitchen's entrance. She almost dropped the tray she was holding when another waitress approached her for the dishes in her hands. She bowed and apologized anxiously for the catastrophe she would have caused.

Usagi quickly passed the tray over and looked back up, only to find Seiya glancing over to her. Girls were still flaunting their ever so short skirts and low cut shirts around him, seeking for his attention after having a picture or two taken with him. Usagi avoided his eyes uneasily and walked over to the other end of the restaurant so she didn't have to witness his intimacy with the customers.

Jealousy was burning inside her but she couldn't figure out the reason. Why was she jealous if Seiya was just her friend? She sighed to herself, urging the terrible feeling to go away, but it wasn't dissolving despite her tedious effort to keep herself busy and away from him. She only managed to suppress her jealousy with surprise when the restaurant doors opened and Yaten stepped in.

He was accompanied by four other individuals whom Usagi didn't recognize. They proceeded to the booth at the corner after Yaten had said something she couldn't hear to her manager. Yaten was the first to sit down, followed by Haruka, Naru, Makoto, and Minako.

Both Naru and Makoto couldn't hold back their excitement as they glanced wildly at their grand surrounding before their eyes widened at the menus given to them. This was their first time dinning in a first-class restaurant, not to mention one which was famous for having its finest cuisines served by cute cosplayers. People who could afford to dine here were usually the rich or the famous, definitely not some poor commoners like them. But on behalf of Yaten, they were allowed to enter without early reservation and dine for free.

On the other side, Minako had her pretty face hidden behind a thick, black glasses and cap. She quietly lowered her hat down by a bit when she realized that the people around them were now glancing over to their table. They weren't staring at her in particular since she was all covered up till none could even distinguish her gender. It was Yaten and Haruka who caught everyone's attention. No one in the world would miss a cool-looking youth with slivery hair or a hot, sexy freshman racer who appeared in almost every sport's magazine cover. Usagi definitely didn't miss her opportunity as she hurried over to greet her friend.

"May I take your order, Master Yaten?"

Yaten turned towards the familiar voice and smiled faintly. "You will get me into trouble if you continue to call me that, Usagi."

Usagi giggled quietly at his remark before she proceeded to recommending some cuisines to him. She seemed to be unaware of the surprise looks that both Minako and Haruka were wearing or when Naru and Makoto dropped their menus simultaneously. If Minako wasn't sitting with them right now, they would have thought that Usagi was her reincarnation since they didn't think it was possible to find another girl as beautiful as her.

But the two girls didn't begin screaming till Seiya appeared from the back of Usagi. Now, practically everyone in the restaurant turned their heads over to their table and gave them a funny look. Haruka sighed heavily at their outrageous behaviours, wishing that he could just bring Minako over to the next table and pretend that he didn't know them. He understood his friends well enough to know that they usually would go wild whenever they encounter a handsome guy, but he didn't expect them to go this crazy. They had practically jumped up from their seats as they handed out their writing pads to Seiya in excitement.

"We love you! Please, can we have your autograph?"

Unlike Usagi, who had startled silent by their unexpected enthusiasm, Seiya nearly growled, suspecting the two girls of having attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or they were simply mistaking him for a celebrity. He glimpsed at their notebooks for a second longer before his eyes moved over to Kyoya, only to find him gesturing his ten fingers up at him with a scheming smile.

"_Autograph__: Increase Usagi's pay by another 10 percent."_

That was what he was signalling to him.

Without a single word, Seiya took the notebooks over and signed them. Usagi watched from the corner of her eyes how Seiya returned their note pads over with a charming smile which instantly made their knees weak, causing both Naru and Makoto to drop back down onto their seats with a deep blush.

Feeling that sour feeling again, Usagi excused herself and quickly proceeded to the kitchen to submit Yaten's orders, not giving Seiya a chance to stop her. He wanted to chase after her but decided not to hinder her work. Though he thought she was acting strange for the past couple of hours, he still couldn't figure why and how. Was she avoiding him? Or was it just his imagination? Whatever it was, he was determined to find her and straighten things out with her after work.

Seiya let out a quiet sigh before looking back down at Yaten, "Why are you here? I thought you were with Tamaki?"

Yaten shrugged, "We got separated."

"Please tell me that you actually knock him out with a sledgehammer before the two of you got separated." Seiya sighed.

"Even if I did, you should know a sledgehammer can't kill that lion… Nothing can…"

"Crap! The last thing I want to see is him walking into this restaurant…" Seiya muttered, imagining the commotion that Tamaki might cause in the place he was working in.

"I'm not sure whether Tamaki will be coming, but I've asked Taiki over since I need him to help me with something."

Seiya threw Yaten a look of displease. He definitely didn't want any of his friends to see him in such an awkward fashion. Forget about how Tamaki would react, he could imagine Taiki secretly laughing at him already.

Whatever it was, there was no point in standing here and getting all agitated. Without another word, Seiya proceeded with retrieving the menus, and when he was about to reach for the last set, a small hand reached out and grabbed his by surprise.

"You are one of them, aren't you?" Minako asked softly.

While Seiya just stared back at Minako with a perplexed expression, everyone around her dropped their jaws at her action. No one seemed to notice that she had been staring at Seiya all these while. Sure, he does get stared a lot. But, it wasn't his good looks that she was attracted to. She didn't know why, but she had a strong feeling that he was related to her, somehow.

"The Starstone… You know where they might be right?" She insisted, unwilling to let go of him.

Immediately, her friends stood up and tried calming her down before everyone started suspecting that she was suffering from mania. But it seemed like none of their words were helping at all as she persistently clung onto Seiya, demanding an answer from him.

"Please tell me where they are. I want to see the stars… I want to see the stars once again…" She pleaded.

"You will…"

Minako's face caught up to Seiya's, completely caught off guard. For a moment, everyone was silent. That wasn't what they had expected to hear. Not even close. They had expected him to struggle or, at the very least, resist. But instead, he patted her on the head and smiled gently.

"There's no need to rush. If it's yours, you'll definitely find it right?"

Minako loosened her grip at his response. Her face was already red as she quietly settled back down much to her friends' relief. She was still staring at Seiya even though he wasn't looking at her anymore. She watched as he whispered something which she couldn't hear to Yaten.

In return, Yaten quietly nodded as he excused himself and followed Seiya to the back of the restaurant where they quietly exited through the backdoor.

--

* * *

--

Taiki could feel his mood wavering from bad to worse as he walked down the narrow, dark street that was located behind the restaurant. Besides the unpleasant smell, there were overflowing trashcans that were infected by all sorts of vermin everywhere, not to mention that the pavement was covered with splotches of unidentifiable murky liquid.

When he finally reached the end of the alley where Seiya and Yaten stood waiting, Taiki smiled sarcastically at them. "This must be one hell of an issue for you to suggest this back alley to talk in."

Yaten simply shrugged and pointed at Seiya. "Throw your anger at him. He insisted it."

"Should I remind you that you were the one who promised to help that girl out?" Seiya argued calmly.

"But that doesn't mean you've to choose this place to talk things out! It stinks like hell here!" Yaten exclaimed agitatedly.

"Bear with it. This is the only place where I can promise some privacy." Seiya replied with a shrug.

Taiki smirked and took out his camera phone from his pocket. "Honestly, I'm not a bit happy to be here. But, I've got to comment that you look great in that suit, Seiya. We should really keep a memory of it…"

Taiki had already taken a few snaps of Seiya before he could object. Seiya muttered several profanities under his breath, but decided to allow Taiki to have his pictures since he knew how pointless it was to go against the Scorpio's motives. Even if he was able to get back the pictures now, Taiki would just take them again, and everything would eventually turn out to be the same. So why bother? Just let him have them.

"That girl, Minako Aino is pretty famous in this estate…" Taiki muttered as he browsed through the shots he took on his phone.

"I can see why…" Yaten nodded to himself before asking. "Do you know her history?"

"A year ago, she was found unconscious along the Tokyo Bay Line, the same cove where a terrible shipwreck took place the night before. So, the police who couldn't get anything out of her suspected that she was one of the survivors of that shipwreck. And later, they arranged an old couple who run the Aino's motel to be her guardians." Taiki explained briefly.

"Shipwreck hmm? What a coincidence to have that many accidents and natural disasters happening all at once on that night when the stars disappeared." Seiya commented, remembering that the three of them were also discovered near the scene of a severe car crash.

"It was no coincidence. That night, there was also an earthquake that took place in the region of Fukushima where Michiru came from…" Taiki added.

Both Seiya and Yaten blinked back in surprise at the name mentioned. Their eyes wandered around for a bit before they finally realized that Michiru wasn't present at the whole time.

"I've asked her to tail Mamoru…" Taiki answered their silent doubts.

"What?"

"Not that I'm interested in him. I only want _that thing_ he possesses…" Taiki explained mysteriously.

"You're referring to the Aries stone?" Seiya sighed, hardly surprised that Taiki knew about it even though he didn't mention anything to him, believing it wasn't necessary.

"Aries stone?"

Seiya shrugged, "He claimed to have one…"

"Right…" Yaten stressed sarcastically. "If he wasn't lying, he must have gotten it either from a toy shop or a corn artist."

"An Aries' impostor? How interesting…" Taiki smiled calmly.

"Impostor or not, I don't really care…" Seiya replied simply.

"That isn't something you, the Crown Prince, should be saying, Seiya." Taiki corrected.

"I don't need that title…" Seiya shook his head and glimpsed down at the clover bracelet he was wearing, "For now, I just want to be with her…"

"But, you have yet to tell Usagi anything right?" Yaten guessed with a sigh.

"I just don't want to frighten her…" He admitted in a soft voice.

Taiki chuckled, "Nice. I've finally found a weakness in you."

Seiya's face shot up to Taiki's, attempting to glare at him but loud fanatic screams coming from the inferior of the restaurant interrupted his intention. From those familiarly wild and crashing cheers and cries, it wasn't hard to guess who had just arrived as the name of a particular man instantly flashed past their minds.

"_Tamaki Suou!"_

--

* * *

--

Tamaki stepped through the entrance with his large fan club surrounding him in a tight barrier, whining and keeping him from getting any further into the restaurant. It wasn't surprising that many of the ladies inside had abandoned their lunches and possessions to join in the barricade of fans. None of them bothered to even be polite and respectful though Tamaki didn't notice or mind. Unlike Seiya, this sort of attention from girls wasn't something he disliked even though he didn't come here for their interest today.

He stretched his neck to look over their heads, making a feeble attempt to locate Seiya. He spotted Kyoya standing by the counter, pressing his calculator before gesturing to him the amount of repair fees and service charges he wanted Tamaki to pay for the disorder he brought to his restaurant. As long as he was willing to compensate for his loss, he could somehow tolerate the mess for a bit.

Cautiously, Usagi tried stepping away from the crowd with much effort. She had abandoned her initial plan to go over and welcome Tamaki, seeing that there was no way she could get through the tight barrier. But with two orders currently in her hands, she needed to get through the fans and proceed to the kitchen, regardless.

"Excuse me…" She muttered trying to shove her way past them.

But instead of letting her through, they selfishly pushed her back causing Usagi to lose her balance and fall backwards. But, to her surprise, someone rushed over to catch her right before she hit the ground. Usagi could hear her heart thumped louder than it had ever pounded before when she realized that Seiya had his arms around her shoulders and head to keep her from getting a bump on her skull.

He was kneeling on one knee, his other foot planted on the ground, supporting her on top of his knee. Now everyone turned their attention to them as if they were acting out some sort of drama. Some even took out their cameras, ready to capture a moment of the beautiful pair but immediately dropped that idea when they noticed Seiya's eyes hardening to a deathly glare.

He glowered at the girls surrounding Tamaki angrily. Those fans of his almost got Usagi hurt. There was no way he could tolerate such an unacceptable act. Usagi stared up at Seiya, her blush spread across her body, feeling guilty and embarrassed to be caught in this position. She was looking at him, silently begging him to put her down before everyone caught sight of her red face and found out her feeling for him. But, her look didn't seem to get through to Seiya as he continued to glare at the group of girls.

If they weren't frail girls, he would have beaten them all up for nearly hurting Usagi, but if they had hurt her on intention, it wouldn't have mattered that they were weak fan girls. He didn't even want to imagine what he would have done to each and every one of them.

Intimidated, the barricade of girls quickly moved away from him while murmuring soft apologies. Then a click was heard as a flash lit up the room. Seiya peered over at the source of the sound and blinding light only to find Tamaki standing at that same spot with his digital camera in his hand and lens pointed directly at him and Usagi. A look of horror seemed to cross Usagi's face as her jaw dropped open. She was positive how very red her face was at that moment, and she was sure if anyone was to look at that photo, they'd discover something she didn't want them to know.

"Nice…" Taiki, who suddenly appeared from the back of Tamaki, commented.

Tamaki turned around to face Taiki and gave him a thumb up sign and a wink. "Beautiful, isn't it? I always wanted a photo of them together."

"I've got a few good shot of Seiya in that butler suit. Want to exchange?"

"Definitely! That's the reason why I'm here today." Tamaki nodded as he leaned over and glanced at the screen of Taiki's phone with a happy grin.

Seiya could feel his veins popping out of his forehead as he thought of the hundred and one ways he should be '_thanking'_ this sibling and friend of his. Didn't they have any other means of entertainment besides taking pictures of him in this ridiculous uniform? Who in the world would actually travel all the way here just to do such a meaningless task? Didn't they have any other place to be or better things to do? Definitely not! To them, teasing and troubling him seemed more fun.

"Ok! Seiya, you can let Usagi go now. I've taken enough good pictures." Tamaki clapped at the two of them.

Seiya raised his eyebrows slightly at his remark before glancing down at the flushed blonde still laying there in his arms. He had forgotten that he hadn't set the poor girl down yet.

"Oh, I'm sorry…" Seiya apologized as he settled Usagi down instantly with a shade of pink covering his pale cheeks.

Usagi shook her head shyly and looked away, not meeting his eyes. She muttered something that he couldn't hear before she darted off to the direction of the kitchen.

Perplexed by her action, Seiya just stood there dumbfounded for a second before he felt someone patting him on his shoulder from behind.

"She's avoiding you." Tamaki informed him, putting on a firm face.

"I don't need someone like you to tell me that!" Seiya shrieked furiously at him.

"I knew it all along that you aren't good with handling girls. But I didn't know you were this bad. Come! Allow me to teach you how to become a real man just like me!"

"NO thanks!"

Seiya objected loudly and walked towards the direction of his manager. He muttered to Kyoya about drowning Tamaki in the sea before coming back to work and proceeded to the exit. Everyone made way for the two brothers and their loud argument could still be heard even after the doors had closed on them.

--

* * *

--

Usagi glanced at the clock and the entrance for the eleventh times that hour. It had been an hour since Seiya left his work and, for some reason, her manager had posted her to work in the cashier instead of serving the guests. As usual, she didn't know that it was Seiya's idea, since he didn't want her to be working so hard or handling nasty customers who might try harassing her when he wasn't around.

Looking at the time once again, she hadn't realized that her shift had ended five minutes ago. The only thing that was on her mind now was Seiya. He wasn't back and she was worried. She didn't dare to call him, fearing that she was the reason why he left. Maybe she had somehow offended him in one way or another, causing him to abandon his shift and leave, or worse, what if he didn't want to see her anymore?

Too absorbed in her own thoughts, Usagi hadn't notice Kyoya calling out to her till he tapped her lightly on her shoulder. She jerked up in surprise before she turned around and apologized for spacing out during her work.

"Your shift ended 10 minutes ago, Usagi-san." Kyoya reminded as he handed a cheque over to her. "Here, your pay for today."

She thanked him and took the cheque over. Her eyes widened with surprise at the amount written on it. She looked and counted the number of digits that were on the cheque repeatedly for four times, initially believing that her eyes were playing tricks on her, since the salary he was giving her was equal to a three months pay when clearly she had only work a day for it.

"There must be some kind of a mistake. I don't deserve this much…"

Kyoya shook his head, "No, there is no mistake. This is just one part of the commission that Seiya has worked on."

"Eh? Seiya?"

"You didn't know?"

Usagi's mouth dropped as Kyoya explained the agreement he had with Seiya that helped increase her pay. Not even in her wildest imagination would she have guessed that he was only acting friendly just for her benefit. Suddenly, she felt guilty and stupid for getting all jealous and avoiding him the entire day. He definitely didn't deserve that sort of treatment from her. Instead, he should be awarded with tons of appreciation and gratitude right?

Feeling the sudden motivation to find and thank him immediately, Usagi nodded determinedly to herself, surprising Kyoya with her unexpected willpower. Without further hesitation, she turned around only to bump into the person who had suddenly appeared behind her.

"I'm sorr-…"

She lost her voice when she realized who he was, and in return, he smiled warmly down at her. Usagi could feel her heart jumped by a beat as her eyes lit up before filling with tears. She opened her mouth to call his name but found herself gasping instead when he took a step past her and grabbed Kyoya by the collar of his shirt.

"What the hell did you do to her?" Seiya demanded in a furious voice, jumping into conclusion.

"Nothing." Kyoya responded, sounding surprisingly calm by his accuse.

"Then why is she crying?" Seiya interrogated him.

Kyoya sighed and shrugged his shoulder. "Because of you…?"

"Me?" Seiya frowned at him obviously thinking he was lying.

Recovering from her shock, Usagi managed to grab onto Seiya by his arm before he beat her poor manager up for something he didn't commit. Reluctantly, Seiya released Kyoya, containing his anger for her sake. This wasn't the right time to be doing anything else besides cheering Usagi up. He placed his hand gently on her cheek, raising her head so he was looking into her teary eyes. She flushed crazily when he did that, but Seiya, who was more concern over what that was upsetting her, seemed to have overlooked that thick blush.

"Usagi, what's the matter?" He asked gently.

Her body tensed up instantly at his overly sweet voice. She anxiously backed away from him and waved her hands in front of her. "No-nothing… I'm okay!"

Seiya shook his head. Her response was hardly convincing. He knew better than to believe that. She was the type of person who didn't want to worry others, meaning she would rather keep her problems to herself and pretend to be happy when she was actually depressed. But he was aching to learn the cause of her tears. Her crying wasn't something he enjoyed seeing, and knowing she'd rather not tell him made it much more difficult to punish the person to blame as he glared suspiciously back at Kyoya, suspecting that he was the one who upset her.

Kyoya pointed his index at him, a silent message that said, _"Not me… It's you!"_

Ignoring him, Seiya turned back to Usagi and inquired again. "But you were crying… Tell me, who upset you? Or… Was it me? Did I do something wrong?"

"No! Of course not… You did nothing wrong!" Usagi half-yelled and grabbed onto his hands much to his surprise.

Seiya stood there, dumbfounded by her sudden action as he continued to look down at her red face.

"Le-Let's go home together! You wait for me ok?" She told him firmly.

He nodded speechlessly in defeat, making Usagi smiled as she released him and dashed out of the counter and into the staff's locker room. She was out less than a minute, all changed and ready to leave work. But, to her disappointment, Seiya wasn't standing by the counter anymore as she began searching for him, only to be told by Kyoya that he was waiting for her outside. She thanked her manager again and quickly exited the restaurant.

Her face lit up with a smile when she saw him standing by the walkway, not entirely alone, with a few girls flaunting around him. But strangely enough, she didn't feel uncomfortable and avoided him this time. She even walked up to him and he smiled when he saw her approaching.

He darted past the four girls without a word or acknowledging glance in their direction, stopping before Usagi with a charming smile spread across his face. She blushed at his charm, but decided not to look away, not wanting him to start thinking that he was upsetting her.

Instead of making him worried, she wanted to repay him for secretly helping her, but didn't know how to. She had thought of getting something for him from the money that he had helped her earn, but she feared that he wouldn't accept it. Besides, she didn't know what he liked, and it would spoil the purpose if she picked something he disliked right?

Then, an idea hit her as she searched through her bag and took out a tiny pink notebook. She handed it out to Seiya much to his surprise.

"Ca-Can you give me your autograph, please?"

"Autograph?" Seiya stared disbelievingly at her, not sure if he had heard her right.

"Yes, your autograph!" She nodded keenly.

Her request surprised him. He didn't understand why anyone would want his signature when he wasn't even a celebrity or someone famous for that matter. Yet, despite not knowing the reason, he still gets asked a lot, but he definitely didn't expect Usagi to act like one of those fan girls as well. Though he didn't dislike it, he thought it was weird that she wasn't behaving like her usual self.

"But, why do you want my signature, Odango? There's nothing special about it…"

"Be-because, because… I just want something from you!" Usagi blurted out honestly as she wasn't good in finding an excuse to hide her motive.

She blushed again when she saw him chuckled at her reply. He thought she was absolutely adorable for saying something like that. He looked back at her, watching her cheeks darkened ever so slightly at his stare. He could feel his heart thump when he realized how memorably beautiful she was up-close. Suddenly, he felt the sudden need to wrap his arms around her small frame and press his lips against her soft, pink ones.

"_I want to hold her hand. I want to be together. I want to be near her more." _

Those were his sinful thoughts.

He clutched his hands into fists and shut his eyes on her, fighting back his urge to do anything that might frighten her. Without another word, he took the notebook from her and signed it quickly. He returned it to her without directly looking at her in the eyes. She looked at his neatly signed signature and smiled happily at it.

"Now that you have given me something, I must also get you something back in return!" She smiled brightly up at him. "Seiya, what do you like?"

"…You."

"Eh?"

"I like you." He emphasized and smiled faintly at her.

Usagi dropped her notebook at his confession and peered incredulously at him. It took her a second to decipher the three words.

He liked her?

She was too shocked to say or do anything besides staring blankly back at him. She watched as he bended over and picked up her notebook.

"I'm sorry if I've scared you… But, that's the truth… As long as you're willing to smile for me and as long as you're happy… that'd be the best gift you can ever give me." He told her and handed the little book out to her.

Usagi looked down at the book in his hand for a while before she reached out for it. But instead of taking it, she wrapped both her hands around his hand much to his surprise.

"I'm happy…" She muttered softly before smiling warmly up at him.

He smiled delightedly at her reply but said nothing. He was glad, overjoyed even, to know that he hadn't offended or upset her in any ways. But he wasn't aware that she had more to say, more feeling to express to him. Yes, she was truly happy, but that wasn't the complete sentence.

"_I'm happy… because you're here with me, because you told me you liked me, and because I feel the same… or maybe __even more than you do for me…" _

But, she couldn't tell him, fearing she wasn't the one for him. She couldn't be so selfish and lure him to fall in love with her when he already had a lover. Though they were bonded by the similar feelings and bracelets, it wasn't enough to confirm anything. He couldn't remember her and she couldn't remember him. But, at the very least, he knew who he was. She couldn't even identify herself, let alone her relationship with him.

Even so, she secretly wished that she was the one he was looking for, and only then will she be able to tell him her true feelings. As for now, all she could do was try and create many more happy moments with him because she didn't know if she'd be able to anymore in the future…

--

* * *

--

Mamoru looked down the road with envy burning in his eyes. He watched much to his exasperation, the way Usagi blushed at something Seiya said to her. He couldn't hear what they were talking, but he definitely didn't like the fact that Usagi was holding onto Seiya's hands with such obvious happiness. His hands tightened into fists. He wanted so badly to dart out and rip the both of them apart, but a strong yet sweet fragrant lured his attention as he turned around to face the source of the pleasant scent.

His eyes lit up in absolute surprise when he noticed Michiru sitting by the side bench, a few feet away from him. She stared quietly at the tiny, green perfume bottle in her hand for a second longer before she turned and looked at him.

"Please, you mustn't interfere…" Michiru muttered slowly.

"Why are you here? What do you want?" Mamoru narrowed his eyes with suspicion.

"I mustn't let you interfere with Seiya-kou's private life…"

--

"_-kou also means prince in Japanese, while –hime means princess." – Japanese translation._

--

"It's always Seiya Kou, isn't it? I don't get why everyone is so obsessed with him. Who is he? A god or something?" Mamoru asked sarcastically.

"Yes… he's our prince…" She replied softly.

"What did you just say?"

He stared oddly at her, but Michiru simply shook her head and got up. He could smell the pleasant scene of flowers growing stronger as she approached him. She stopped at a close distance and looked up at him, smiling faintly.

"Usagi-san told me that you're a kind man…"

"What? Usagi?" Mamoru asked, blinking in surprise.

Michiru nodded as she forwarded what Usagi told her the previous night to Mamoru.

"_For this past year, he's always trying to accept and help me even though he doesn't trust my belief. That's not an easy thing to do… So, you see… he's a really kind person… and I hope that one day, I'd be able to do something and repay his kindness…"_

"… That's exactly what she said." She finished.

"I don't need her to repay me! I just don't want her to get cheated by that man!" Mamoru burst out.

"The one who got cheated is you, Chiba-san."

"Wh-what?"

"The Great Sage suspects that you possess something evil which doesn't belong to you… what is it and who gave it to you?" Michiru inquired openly.

Mamoru widened his eyes at her, the once angry expression morphed into a shock one instantly. Was she referring to his Aries stone? But it was just an accessory, something that Usagi was looking for, and calling a stone evil did sound pretty absurd for someone as practical as Mamoru. Either this woman was joking with him or she was mentally challenged by some fantasy beliefs, so he didn't think that it was necessary to answer her questions.

"Nonsense… I don't know what you're talking about."

Mamoru looked away from her and to the direction where he last saw Usagi and Seiya only to find that they were nowhere in sight. He cursed and immediately glanced around wildly in hope to spot them somewhere on the busy street but was unsuccessful.

"Chiba-san, whatever it is, you must throw it away before it completely takes over you… You mustn't keep it…" Michiru added in a murmur.

"You're a bother, you know that? I've lost sight of Usagi because of you. I don't have time for any of your nonsense, so stop bothering me already." Mamoru exclaimed uncaringly and left.

Michiru shook her head with a quiet sigh as she watched him disappeared into the crowd. Just when she was about to follow him, her phone rang on time as she pulled it out from her pocket. She smiled faintly when she saw the name of the person she admired flashed across her phone's screen before answering it.

"Hai, Ouji-sama…"

"How many times must I tell you not to call me that, Michiru?" Her receiver sighed.

"What about bocchama then?" She giggled as she sat back down on the bench.

--

"_Ouji means prince,__ while bocchama is used to refer a high ranking young male." – Japanese naming system._

--

There was a second of awkward silence, before he replied with a sigh, "Just call me Seiya will do."

"Hai, Seiya-kou… What is it you need?" Michiru smiled.

"No, just wanting to check whether he has left." Seiya answered briefly.

Michiru nodded, "He just did, and I'm intending to follow him from here."

"Don't bother. I'm not Taiki or Tamaki. I don't need anyone to become a stalker for me… Just come back for dinner alright? Consider this as an order…"

"Hai, Ouji-sama…"

She hung up after he did and stood up smiling to herself. Just as she was about to turn around, she felt someone bump into her. Her phone slipped and fell to the ground due to the impact.

"Sorry…" The girl in sunglasses who had just ran into her apologized.

She bended over and pick up the phone, returning it to Michiru. "I'm sorry… I should have heard you coming…"

"No, not a problem…" Michiru smiled and looked closely at the blue-headed girl, wondering why she used the term 'heard'.

"Is your phone functioning properly? I'm willing to pay the repair fee…" She offered politely.

"No, you don't have to. My phone isn't damaged."

She smiled in relief as she reached into her bag and took out a white card. "I'm in a hurry now...Here is my name card. You can contact me using the number there if you'd to find any damage on your phone. I'm sorry, but I've got to go…"

She darted past her but turned around unexpectedly, "By the way, Miss… I like the lavender scent around you… It's familiarly nice… I hope we'll meet again. Goodbye."

Michiru could only smile awkwardly back as she watched the girl stood there for another brief moment before giving her a short bow, and in a flash, she was gone. Glimpsing at the name card in her hand, Michiru's eyes widened in absolute surprise at the name imprinted on it.

'_Ami Mizuno_'.

--

* * *

--

A/N: Yeah! Seiya is so hot! I'm totally into him, as usual. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I'm taking it slow to reveal the rest of the characters since this should be another long story. You know, Ash, don't usually write short story with lack of development. Right! Leave me a review! And, I think I'd be updating on the 100th reviews...

Also, we have drawn a short manga piece for this story. It's up in the main site! Remember, no taking of images. You should know who they belong to.


	5. The Only One That Matters

--

_Last Chapter:_

"_Is your phone functioning properly? I'm willing to pay the repair fee…" She offered politely._

"_No, you don't have to. My phone isn't damaged."_

_She smiled in relief as she reached into her bag and took out a white card. "I'm in a hurry now...Here is my name card. You can contact me using the number there if you'd to find any damage on your phone. I'm sorry, but I've got to go…"_

_She darted past her but turned around unexpectedly, "By the way, Miss… I like the lavender scent around you… It's familiarly nice… I hope we'll meet again. Goodbye."_

_Michiru could only smile awkwardly back as she watched the girl stood there for another brief moment before giving her a short bow, and in a flash, she was gone. Glimpsing at the name card in her hand, Michiru's eyes widened in absolute surprise at the name imprinted on it._

'_Ami Mizuno'._

--

* * *

--

**The Only One That Matters**

**--**

Taiki glanced at the name card which Michiru had just handed him. His eyes widened with a little interest when he saw the name imprinted on it. "Ami Mizuno? I didn't expect we'd run into her so soon."

Michiru nodded at his remark, "I'm equally surprised myself."

"And, I thought this Ami person was an author..." Yaten recalled, peeking at the name card. "So, I must have mistaken her for one then? Because it clearly states here that she works in the national law firm as a bengoshi."

--

"_Bengoshi meaning Attorney at law (lit. advocate or a lawyer) form a legal profession in Japan. Attorney at law is the only individuals authorized to represent others in district courts, high courts, and Supreme Court, and are also authorized to give advice regarding any matter of law, also referred to as a Counsel." – Japanese definition. _

--

"No, there's no mistake. She's both an author and a bengoshi." Taiki replied simply.

Yaten raised his brows in amazement, "Wow! She's a professional. And I assume she's a lot older than us?"

Mirchiru shook her head, "Surprisingly, she looks like our age…"

Yaten threw her a disbelief look while Taiki chuckled as he handed a recent newspaper clipping over to his friends.

Yaten's mouth opened in wonder as he scanned through the article that described a young, blind attorney who had never lost a case, holding a perfect record throughout her one year as an attorney.

Her name was none other than Ami Mizuno.

"I'm speechless…" Yaten commented, shaking his head in disbelief.

Michiru nodded in agreement, finally noting why Taiki was interested to meet Ami. "Great Sage, do you need me to contact her from here?"

Taiki shook his head, "It's alright. I've got other plan in mind…"

Both Yaten and Michiru looked blankly back at Taiki, unable to see through his motive. They opened their mouths, intending to question him but a loud thud sound coming from the door interrupted them. The trio stared at Usagi and Seiya who had just entered the sitting room, surprised to find them arguing.

"No, no, no!" Usagi shrieked, shaking her head animatedly.

But her objection only made Seiya smirked devilishly as he patted her on the shoulder, "You can't run away from me, my little Usagi (bunny), I won't let you sleep tonight."

"Whoa!" Yaten and Taiki clapped together in response to what Seiya had just declared.

"Seiya! Please don't say things that will lead to misunderstanding!" Usagi shrieked at him while flushing a hot red, but Seiya simply shrugged uncaringly much to her exasperation.

"Ouji-sama, may I ask what is going on here?" Michiru questioned curiously.

Seiya sighed, "There's an important test tomorrow. But, Odango doesn't allow me to help her even though she couldn't manage it herself."

"I can manage just fine!" Usagi retorted, folding her arms across her chest and looking away from him.

"Really? Then, do this." Seiya challenged as he handed a piece of worksheet out to her.

Usagi glimpsed determinedly at Seiya for a second longer before she took the paper over and looked down at the algebra problems. She chewed on the pencil she was holding onto and stared at the questions hopelessly. She could only remember bits and pieces of the algebraic lettering that hardly made sense, but after looking up at Seiya smirking confidently down at her, all her grasping on the little sense she had remembered vanished instantly.

Regardless, she was determined to prove him wrong as she set the paper down on the table and began doing the sums. Seiya sat down on the couch and stared at Usagi as she struggled to complete the questions. Watching her concentrate on the worksheet amused him. She looked adorable when she was confused, chewing on her pencil eraser and frowning at the question.

By the time she was done, she had forgotten how long she had been sitting on that spot, but seeing that both Yaten and Michiru had already left to prepare for the night, she knew she must have taken more than an hour at least. Nonetheless, she handed her answer booklet over to Seiya, watching him peered at it, his expression turned from blank to disbelief.

"What kind of answer is this?! How in the world did you get something like this?" Seiya shot up from his seat and stared disbelievingly down at her.

Usagi smiled nervously back at him, "I didn't get them correct?"

"None of them are correct!" Seiya half-yelled before sighing tiredly.

Usagi kept quiet, watching Seiya dropped back down on the couch in defeat as Taiki took the booklet over from him and glanced at it. She looked down in embarrassment when she heard Taiki giggling at her answers.

"This is so interesting. How did you manage to come up with such solution, Usagi-san?" Taiki chuckled in disbelief.

Seiya glared blankly at Taiki, "This is not funny, Taiki. She's going to fail tomorrow's test if she continues answering the questions like that."

"I'm sorry, my prince. I didn't mean to laugh. But for such an easy paper, I've never thought anyone would write something this ridiculous. Didn't you go over the notes which Mirchiru gave you, Usagi-san?" Taiki asked, calmly down by a little.

Usagi nodded but avoided their eyes, "I did… just not thoroughly…"

Seiya sighed quietly and looked concernedly down at the blonde seated before him, "What's wrong, Odango? You've been acting strange lately. You lock yourself in your room after dinner and go to work, the next morning, looking pretty exhausted. At the beginning, I thought you were busy preparing for tomorrow's paper, but I guess I was wrong, wasn't I?"

Usagi's mouth dropped open to respond, but she had no words to say. She hadn't meant to make him worry, but she unintentionally did. Still, it'd be odd to tell him that she had stayed up for a few nights because she was learning how to knit something decent enough to give him. That would sound so awkward, wouldn't it? She continued to gaze at him, quietly begging him to drop the subject, but he just stared back at her, waiting for her to say something.

"I guess I should help out and prepare Usagi-san for tomorrow's test." Taiki offered intentionally, breaking the awkward silence.

"You shouldn't!" Seiya objected even before Usagi could give a reply.

Taiki shrugged at his objection, "But why? I'm only trying to help. What harm can I do?"

"A whole lot..." Seiya stressed and glanced suspiciously at him.

"I'm fine with Taiki-san teaching me!" Usagi voiced out to the two boys who were now glowering at one another.

Seiya threw Usagi a startled look, obviously not getting her train of thought. He couldn't see how she would previously reject him, and yet allowed Taiki to teach her unless she assumed that Taiki was more reliable than he was. A spark of jealousy radiated through his body at that thought. It had acted quickly, and the next second he was already up on his feet.

"Suit yourself." Seiya muttered awkwardly.

"Sei-…"

Usagi intended to call out to him, but without even waiting for her response, Seiya simply spun around and stormed out of the room, slamming the huge double doors behind him. Usagi gasped and jumped up to her feet quickly, attempting to chase after him. Though she didn't know what he was unhappy over, she could roughly guess that she was the reason. She was already half way to the door when she felt someone holding her back by the wrist. She turned around, surprised to see Taiki smiling calmly down at her.

"Let him be. This is a great opportunity for him to realize his hidden feeling…"

"Eh?" Usagi cocked her head to the side, not getting what Taiki was trying to imply.

Taiki just stared back at her like he had expected her to look confused. He didn't even try explaining his statement to her at all as he quietly pulled her out of the sitting room, down the hallway, and into his room while ignoring her soft protest.

Once inside, Usagi found her eyes wandering through his sophisticated room for a mere second before Taiki held a piece of worksheet out to her, blocking her view. "These are the questions that will be tested tomorrow. I advise you to put whatever that you're doing for Seiya aside just for tonight and complete them."

Usagi looked up at him with a surprise expression, "Ho-how did you know?"

"I just know." Taiki smiled coolly.

Usagi could only blink speechlessly at his reply. She was beginning to wonder whether Taiki really held the ability to see through others secrets and problems. That would be so cool if he had such power as her eyes lit up with sparkles of amazement, wishing he would share some of his knowledge or secret he knew about Seiya with her.

Taiki looked oddly down at the blonde who was now staring up at him with a pair of desire-filled eyes and smirked. He knew what was running through her head, but he wasn't someone benevolent enough to tell her what she wanted to know without gaining any benefit or without her earning for it.

"Staring at me like that won't work, Usagi-san. I won't tell someone, who can't even answer a simple math question correctly, anything about our prince."

"Eh? Are you saying that I'm stupid and that I'm not good enough for Seiya?" Usagi half-yelled at him for criticising her.

Taiki folded his arms and nodded bluntly, "Exactly."

Usagi's eyes widened with displeased. She held up, pointing at the worksheet that Taiki had just given her with determination. "If I get full marks for this paper, you must take back your words and tell me about Seiya!"

For the first time, Taiki found himself blinking in surprise. He was clearly taken aback by her challenge. She couldn't be serious, could she? That paper was a lot harder than the previous one which Seiya had given her to work on. Either she was insane or seriously stupid for trying to prove him wrong like that. Still, he wasn't the type of person who would turn down a challenge, and he did admire her guts.

"Fine. If you can complete the paper without a single mistake in the next hour, I'll tell you whatever you want to know about Seiya." Taiki agreed plainly.

"Ok! I'll take you on!" Usagi took the challenge determinedly.

Taiki watched as she conveniently plopped into his study table. She took up the pen that was abandoned on the desk and began doing the first question. Unlike an hour ago, she appeared confident and serious as she worked through the problems with no difficulties. Taiki sat down beside her and stared at her in complete shock. He had always thought that she was just another pretty face, not particularly smart or interesting, and definitely not someone capable enough to win a deal out of him.

His impression of her couldn't be wrong. She would usually get all shy, saying and doing all sort of silly things whenever she was near Seiya. She couldn't even solve a single math problem with him around! Yet why? Why couldn't he see any hesitation or anxiety in her eyes right now? It was as though he was looking at a completely different person.

Usagi turned the last page and set down her pen, letting out a sigh of relief. She smiled at Taiki and handed her piece of answer sheet over to him.

"Here. I'm done. Would you check the answer for me?"

Taiki glanced at her for a short second before taking the papers over from her. Usagi just sat quietly there as he scanned over the answers, unable to find a single mistake. It was pretty incredible how she managed to get them all right when the paper was set harder than the previous one in which she couldn't even get a single one correct.

"It's a perfect score, isn't it?" Usagi asked with hidden sense of confident.

Taiki kept quiet, double checking her paper just to be sure there wasn't any mistake before sighing to himself, "To think I actually got tricked by someone like you... How embarrassing..."

"Eh? But, I didn't trick you." Usagi exclaimed, waving her hands in front of herself.

"Then, explain how you managed to get all these problems correct when you couldn't even answer a single question for the previous one." Taiki demanded plainly.

Usagi blushed and looked down, "Th-that's because Seiya was there then…"

"Oh… He stole your brain?" Taiki asked bluntly.

"It's not like that! I just get tense and nervous whenever he's around… and my mind will go blank, so I couldn't concentrate or think at all! This is why I didn't want him to teach me! My heart won't be able to take it…!" Usagi burst out before gasping with a thick blush when she realized what she had just said.

Taiki smiled when he saw her turning away from him to face the wall in embarrassment. Somehow, he found her reaction amusing, and she did manage to stir his curiosity by a little. She was previously a concern to him mainly because his prince was interested in her, but it was a little different now.

"So, you won't get nervous around me? And for a moment there, I thought you were afraid of me." Taiki mentioned intentionally.

Usagi shook her head, "Because Seiya told me that even though you are scheming, cold, cruel and, dangerous… you aren't scary at all…"

"Oh. I guess I should thank him then huh?" Taiki replied unenthusiastically.

He sighed, wondering why he even bothered asking that question when he should have expected that it was Seiya who had convinced her, though in an odd way, she still believed him in regardless of how unpersuasive it might sound.

"So, since you've won the deal, what is it do you want to know about our prince?" Taiki moved on simply.

Usagi widened her eyes excitedly, "I would like to know what Seiya likes…"

"Hmm? Won't it be better if you ask him yourself?" Taiki smirked deviously at her. "Or you already did?"

Usagi flushed a dark red and looked down shyly, her mind flashing back to the moment when he told her that he liked her. Taiki read the answer through her reaction and smirked to himself. He knew what Seiya had told her but decided not to push the issue any further to save her from getting any redder than she already was.

"If you ask me… this is the first time I've seen Seiya-kou taking a matter so seriously… because an unwanted child like him normally would care less…" Taiki muttered.

"Eh?" Usagi cocked her head to the side, trying to analysis his statement.

"You don't know, do you? That, unlike Tamaki-kou, Seiya is an illegitimate child…"

--

'_Please note that –kou also means prince in Japanese.' – Japanese translation. _

--

"Illegitimate…?" Usagi repeated softly.

Taiki nodded, his expression turned grave, "You see… Our king loves beautiful things… and once, during his visit to earth, he met a young, mortal woman and was mesmerized by her beauty. Our king proposed to her, but that girl, who was already engaged to another man, rejected him. Of course, our king was furious… and he ended up raping her, impregnating her with his child…"

Usagi shivered, predicting what he was going to say next, "That child…"

"…was Seiya." Taiki finished for her. "He was a child that doesn't belong to anywhere in this world, and was hated by everyone, including his own mother. She couldn't love him because he was an immortal and the child of the man she despised. When it all comes to that faithful day when they were forced to be taken away by the heaven's army, she ended up committing suicide before him, and she died saying she hated him…"

"How cruel…" Usagi breathed softly and shook her head in disbelief.

Usagi sat there as the news sunk in. She couldn't say anymore. No one in the right mind would think that he had such a sad childhood. Seiya had always been popular and admired, not someone unwanted and hated. It wasn't his fault. He didn't deserve to be despised, and definitely not by his own mother. Just by hearing his past hurt her, and she couldn't understand how Seiya could still be smiling now, because she definitely couldn't if she was him.

Taiki smirked lightly at her comment, "Maybe it might seem cruel to you… but to Seiya, he accepted her death and his fate without any complain…"

Usagi looked up and gave Taiki a questionable look, silently asking him to explain further.

Taiki shrugged, "It had always been like that… the Seiya I knew wasn't affected or moved by anything. Maybe to him, such form of hatred coming from his mother or everyone then was only natural. Still, our king adored him, because not only was he beautiful, but also, as a kid, he was always effortlessly striding two or three steps ahead of everyone. He had achieved a lot since young, succeeding things others wanted yet he would just toss them away like they were nothing."

--

Part of Taiki's memories:

"_Become part of the Zodiac? I'm not interested in things like that…" Little Seiya rejected plainly._

_And years later..._

"_Seiya-kou, if you don't change that bad attitude of yours, you'll soon be cut from the candidature to be the next king." One of the elders of Heaven lectured him._

"_Oh… I'm still in the running? Just cut me out of it already, Old man. I don't need that title." Older Seiya waved his hand uncaringly. _

_--_

"Do you know that, apart from Tamaki-kou, Seiya is the youngest god ever to be selected for the running to become the next king? But he just rejected it and said he doesn't care. So, you see, Usagi-san. He's the sort of bastard that isn't interested in anyone or anything other than himself, and doesn't take anything seriously. You should really reconsider feeling sad for him…" Taiki nodded to himself.

Usagi dropped her jaw at his last statement and waved her hands in front of herself as she tried to defend Seiya. "I don't think that's true… He might not be interested in the things that most people see as important, but that doesn't mean he's bad or doesn't take other things seriously… I'm sure there's something out there that interests him…"

Taiki smirked at her remark, "Yes, which was why I said that this is the first time I've ever seen him taking a matter so seriously…"

He paused abruptly and Usagi widened her eyes slightly when saw him moving closer towards her. She backed away by a little, almost falling off from the chair, but Taiki's hand found its way around her waist, supporting her from falling over. She gasped softly when he pulled her towards him till their lips were just an inch or two apart.

"There's something I want to know…" Taiki breathed against her lips, making Usagi stiffened with a deep blush. "Why does our prince goes so far as to get angry, upset, and jealous over someone like you? I don't understand… What is it about you that interest him? I wonder if there is a way I can find this out…"

"Try finding it in hell!" An angry voice growled from behind.

Usagi gasped when she saw a long spear fell towards Taiki. But to her surprise, Taiki just smirked coolly, catching the black blade between his index and middle fingers without even looking back. He quickly released the blade and backed away when it unexpectedly ignited, bursting into fury flame of crimson red.

"Fierce…" Taiki smirked, watching how Seiya pulled Usagi into his arms in a one-side embrace.

Usagi froze in his arms and she could feel blood rushing to her face as Seiya held her against his chest protectively. She looked up timidly in time to see his eyes hardening into a deathly glare. "I agree to let you teach her, Taiki. But I don't remember ever giving you the permission to touch her."

Taiki just smiled innocently back. "My apology, my prince. I'll keep in mind to seek for your permission the next time I want to touch Usagi-san."

"There won't be a next time!" Seiya retorted.

He held back his anger when he felt Usagi grasping onto him tightly, hoping to calm him down in attempt to prevent a violent outbreak. It did work somehow as Seiya extinguished the burning spear and sighed at her. Without a warning, he hoisted her up in his arms much to her surprise. Usagi flushed and looked up, silently begging him to put her down but he simply ignored that look and glared at Taiki for the last time before storming out of the room.

--

"Seiya! Put me down! I can walk by myself!" Usagi struggled.

"Why? You wasn't even resisting when Taiki tried to kiss you." Seiya stated in an almost bitter tone as he continued to carry her down the corridor.

"He wasn't going to kiss me! He was just trying to find out more about you!" She opposed.

"Sure. Only someone as dense as you will believe that…" Seiya shrugged.

"I'm not dense!"

He smiled down at her, deciding to tease her for a while more. "How about slow then?"

"That's the same meaning as dense!" Usagi squealed.

"And, isn't that what you are?" Seiya commented simply.

Usagi opened her mouth in an attempt to argue back but found herself gasping instead when she felt Seiya setting her back onto her feet. The door of her room stood just before her as she glanced back at Seiya and he smiled gently down at her.

"You should get some sleep. It's late." He advised.

She blushed at his caring manner and kept quiet, her mind going over the things that Taiki had told her a moment ago. Who said he didn't care? Who said he couldn't smile? How wrong could the world be? She had no idea how anyone could hate or see him as uncaring and cold just because he was born differently.

"_Are they blind? Baka (Stupid)! Can't they see that he's smiling right now!?"_ Usagi scolded in her thoughts, clutching her hands into fists.

Seiya looked concernedly down at her, wondering why she was looking so serious all of the sudden. Did he do anything that had offended her? Perhaps she was mad at him for teasing her or forcefully taking her away. That would most probably be the reason to her solemn look. He wanted to ask her, but found himself staring speechlessly down at her instead when she simply looked back up at him with a face of determination.

"Don't worry, Seiya! I'll do really well for the test tomorrow!"

"Uhm…" Seiya answered oddly, too startled to say anything else.

She gave him a big smile as she edged herself up on the tips of her toes and extended her hand out to him, patting him on the head much to his surprise. Usagi was trying to ease his worries and hopefully cheer him up in a silent way, but her unexpected action didn't seem to get through to Seiya. Never in his life had anyone patted him or dared to treat him in such manner. Usagi was probably the first and last person who would do so though he couldn't understand why.

He gave her a questionable look, but she just smiled sweetly back at him, not giving him any clues or hints that would help him understand her previous action.

"I'll go revise now. Ohyasumi (Good night)…" Usagi departed as she quickly stepped into her room.

"Wait." Seiya stopped her, grabbing her by the shoulder.

Usagi turned around and blinked questionably at him.

To her surprise, he simply drew her closer before requesting, "Let's revise together."

--

* * *

--

It was like any other usual morning. Mamoru glanced at his watch as he stiffly climbed up the stairs with his two friends constantly questioning him from behind. It was those usual questions concerning Usagi again which, of course, he didn't bother replying them. He wasn't ready to admit that he had lost her to some other guy by the name of Seiya Kou.

He wanted to straighten that issue out with Usagi, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get near to her enough to even grab her attention. Either he would get pressured by the scary presence of Taiki or get stopped by Michiru, who always seemed to appear out of nowhere. Their constant interferences made him looked as though he was someone extremely evil and they were trying to protect Usagi from him.

Mamoru angrily sat himself down in his seat, folding his arms across his chest as he waited for school to start. His friends were still bugging him with questions but he ignored them completely. His mind flew back to the time when Rei told him that he would be able to get Usagi back once he handed the Aries stone over to her. Though he couldn't understand why she was helping him or how a stone could convince Usagi to return to him, he had agree to follow whatever plan she had set up to distract Taiki and Michiru as his last resort to meet up with Usagi.

He got to see her and clear things out with her. He couldn't allow her to keep sticking with Seiya, believing that he was just another playboy who was just trying to get her to sleep with him. He was losing his insanity just by the thought of that. The only reason he still even bothered to go to school was for the chance that Usagi would show up one day, but it didn't look like she would come today.

That was, until the door shoved open harshly, and the girls began shrieking in excitement as Yaten and Taiki stepped into the room, followed by Michiru who was chuckling at the couple arguing behind her.

The sight Mamoru found himself staring at left him speechless. Seiya and Usagi were the last to enter the classroom, both in a pretty foul mood due to the lack of sleep. Everyone turned and stared at the couple, but they were too engaged in their own little dispute to notice the amount of attention they had drawn to themselves or, for that matter, a classmate named Mamoru seated in the background.

"It's your fault for doing it until so late and refusing to let me sleep…" Usagi grumbled.

All ears perked up with interest at the on-going argument as the couple made their way across the classroom. The only seats left open were all the way in the back as Seiya chose the one near the window next to Usagi's.

He sighed and dropped down tiredly. "How unkind. I was being very gentle and patient with you since you were new at it."

"Forcing your way into me isn't gentle at all!" Usagi shrieked, blushing slightly.

"It's very important to master the basic first so you won't face any difficulty when we do it together the next time." Seiya stated with a shrug.

"But doing that sort of thing wears me out…" Usagi complained as she wearily dropped her head on the table.

"It seems like the both of you had a pretty intense night…" Taiki commented intentionally.

Yaten sighed, "Taiki, please don't make things anymore misleading than they already were…"

They were talking about studies, but none besides Yaten, Taiki and Michiru, knew about it. Mamoru, like the rest, was going through what he had just heard in his head for the tenth time. If he was putting this correctly together, Seiya and Usagi had made love last night and now they were both exhausted. That was a disgusting thought for Mamoru, and he refused to believe it. Instead, he wanted to consider that Seiya had raped Usagi, though it seemed unlikely, seeing Usagi was now giggling at something Seiya had just whispered to her. There was no way she would act so friendly to someone who raped her, no matter how forgiving she could be.

"Looks like Usagi-san is not your little, pure girlfriend anymore…" Gurio taunted his friend.

Mamoru groaned and slammed his desk angrily at the remark, "Just shut up already, Gurio!"

Now, every student in the room turned their attention to Mamoru. He stiffened up by a little when he heard Usagi breaking the silence with a faint murmur of his name and immediately turned around to face her. She was staring at him, her eyes almost as big as her wide open mouth. For a short moment, her blue orbs were glossed over with surprise before they softened ever so gently at the sight of him.

Mamoru held onto the edge of the table for support, almost falling over his chair when he saw Usagi nodding and smiling warmly back at him. Was his eyes playing trick on him or did she just smiled at him? He continued to stare wordlessly at her, realizing how decently beautiful she looked at that moment.

It was then when a pen flew out of nowhere, missing the edge of Mamoru's face by less than an inch. It flew straight past the centre of the room before forcefully striking into the blackboard like a flying darts would hit in a bullseye. Almost everyone including Mamoru flinched when they realized how close he was from getting hit by that supposedly harmless object.

Usagi blinked in confusion, seemingly not understanding what had just happened. But, she wasn't given much time to think about it as the door shoved open and their homeroom teacher, Haruna, stepped into the class. For a minute, Haruna just stared at the pen stuck in the blackboard in astonishment before turning to face her students.

"Who did this?" She demanded, sounding a little angry.

"That's my pen, Sensei."

All heads turned to face Seiya as he stood up from his seat and admitted. He proceeded casually to the front of the classroom, ignoring all eyes and murmurs. Mamoru practically glared at him but Seiya just glimpsed back, brushing it off with a smirk. He walked over to Haruna and apologized to her with one of his most charming smile, making her blushed slightly at him.

"There was a harmful bug in the room earlier, so I thought I should get rid of it. It really wasn't my intention to damage the blackboard. I'm so sorry for the inconvenience cause here, Sensei." He apologized gracefully.

Haruna could only nod back speechlessly, taken aback by his charm. Little to everyone's knowledge, she had already forgiven him even before he had began explaining. Usagi sighed quietly, relief that her teacher didn't get mad at Seiya and assigned him a detention. They had to start work immediately after school and she didn't want to spend a day working in the restaurant without him.

Usagi looked up at Seiya as he proceeded back to his seat and sat down. He turned, his expression softened to a gentle smile when he saw her smiling sweetly back at him. He was a little surprise that she didn't start asking him any questions unlike his other two friends behind him.

"How brilliant... Did Tamaki teach you to apologize like that?" Yaten laughed.

Taiki cracked a smile, "And, there was a bug around here earlier? I didn't know that…"

"Actually, there are two big, irritating ones behind me right now, and I'm pondering whether I should kill them off. I'm serious. This time, I won't miss…" Seiya warned plainly.

"Scary…" Taiki commented with a smirk.

He was enjoying the situation, definitely, since it was rare to see Seiya acting childishly enough to throw a random object at someone he disliked. On the other hand, Usagi was totally oblivious over Seiya's jealousy issue as she continued to look worriedly at him, wondering what was bothering him at the moment. She opened her mouth, attempting to ask him, but she was cut off by Haruna.

"Everyone clear your desks… Test time."

--

* * *

--

Tamaki was delighted as he strolled down the beautiful beach of Okinawa. He had supposedly came to this cultural island for a photo shoot, but got lost and separated from his crew, as usual, and for some reason found himself near a white shore that overlooked a blue coral reef. Despite not knowing where he was, Tamaki was feeling anything but anxious as he picked up a lion-looking statue and showed it off to his only crewmate present in excitement.

"Haruhi, I found a Namahage! Yeah! Namahage! Namahage!" Tamaki cheered happily.

Haruhi sighed, "That's a Shisa, Senpai. In Okinawa mythology, the Shisa is a variation of guardian lion, and is said to ward off evils."

"It's a godly lion that fight off evil villain?" Tamaki widened his eyes in amazement and hugged the statue joyously. "You're so cool just like me! Ok! I shall bring you home as my souvenir!"

"Senpai, don't go picking up random objects and bringing them home…" Haruhi sighed another time and held out her piece of map to him. "At least help me out with the road directory here… we are still lost and I couldn't contact the others without a cell phone."

"I have one." Tamaki smiled widely and pulled out his silvery-white phone.

"Then you should have brought it out and contacted them earlier!!" Haruhi burst out at him.

"But since I just changed my phone yesterday, I've lost all of their contacts and no one in the crew have my new number either…" Tamaki explained casually.

Haruhi turned speechless, staring at him for a short moment before she dropped her head in defeat.

"Don't worry, I'll find help somehow!" Tamaki stated as he started pressing a few buttons on his phone.

It rang five times before an irritated Seiya picked up his phone, answering it with an impatient voice. "I'm taking a test here. What do you want, Tamaki?"

"Ah! My royal brother! Guess what? I found a Shisa!"

There was a moment of silence from Seiya before he hung up on Tamaki, ending the call with a thud.

Tamaki just grinned as he cheerily dialled another number. As he waited patiently for the receiver to pick up the phone, his eyes began to scan through the open sea for a bit. He blinked a couple of times in surprise when he spotted something weird popping out from the blue water. From the far distance, it looked like a row of yellow fins, and as the swamp swam closer, he could somehow catch a glimpse of a number of heads protruding out from the ocean. Haruhi, who was busy reading the map, didn't seem to have notice the bizarre occurrence taking place.

Tamaki let out a quiet breath. He pressed the end button just when Yaten answered his phone and called Taiki instead.

"Your Excellency, I already know you found a Shisa." Taiki answered almost immediately, sounding rather uninterested.

But to his surpise, Tamaki didn't start laughing as he had expected him to. Instead, he greeted him back in an almost solemn tone. "Hey Taiki, there's something I'd like to ask you."

"Is there a problem, Your Excellency?" Taiki inquired, getting concerned.

"I heard that there are plenty of strange sea creatures in Okinawa, so I'm curious…" Tamaiki began in a murmur as he continued looking out into the sea. "Do you know what sort of shark has mutated arms with yellow fins protruding out of them, thick green scale covering its body, and a head that looks like an ugly dragon?"

There was a short pause from Taiki before he sighed quietly at Tamaki's interpretation of that so-called 'shark'. "Your Excellency, that's a male Naga you're referring to, not a shark."

"A Naga huh?" Tamaki smiled mysteriously as he observed the swamp of Naga swimming toward his direction.

--

'_The Naga were fable demons that mutated into vengeful humanoid sea serpents. The male were thickly built, with humanoid torso merging into a serpent hind section. They were bestial and considered less intelligent than the females, but were remarkably strong and tough, able to withstand a great deal of bodily injury.' – Story information._

--

"You have no experience in sea battle. You sure you can handle them, Your Excellency?" Taiki asked, grabbing the situation his prince was in already.

"Not a problem, I'm good at fishing." Tamaki nodded, still not getting the whole concept of what a Naga was.

"I'll call you back later…"

Haruhi glanced over at Tamaki when she saw him putting down his phone. "Senpai? Did you manage to find some help?"

"Haruhi…" Tamaki turned to face her with a gentle smile. "I've contacted the crew. You remembered the last bus stop we passed by an hour ago? They told us to meet them there."

"That's great. We should get going then." Haruhi suggested as she turned around, ready to leave.

She was surprised when Tamaki just stood there with no intention of following her like how he usually would. She glanced over her shoulder at him, "Senpai?"

"There's something I need to settle first. I'll catch up with you in a minute." He informed her.

"Will you be alright, Senpai?" Haruhi asked in concern, finding his behaviour strange.

Tamaki nodded, "I'll be fine. You go ahead first… don't keep them waiting…"

"Ok. Don't take too long alright? We will wait for you at the bus stop then." She waved to him before disappearing into the distance.

Tamaki stopped waving and put down his hand when she was out of his sight. His smile slowly fainted as he turned around to face the five Naga that were now slithering up to the shore, glowering at him.

He unbuttoned the top of his shirt and reached in for his Star stone, lifting it up by its silvery chain.

"You are here for this?" He asked plainly, turning around to face them.

They let out an angry breath and held up their fists when they saw what he was holding.

"Try beating me for it then." Tamaki challenged with a smirk as the Leo stone began to shine fiercely.

--

* * *

--

Usagi was in the restaurant taking her time to set up an empty table. There wasn't much to do besides preparation since it was still early and there weren't many customers around to attend to. She had finished placing all the dinning utensils when she heard faint muttering coming from the table behind hers. Usagi glanced over her shoulder at the group of girls gawking at Seiya, who had just walked out from the counter, with interest.

They called out to him, and he looked back at them a bit reluctantly. He was tired and in no mood to entertain anyone today, but he couldn't just abandon his shift and leave Usagi all by herself. He had his reasons to be overprotective. His affection for her was one of them, and fearing she might get herself into danger was another. He didn't know who or what was after their Star stones, but he knew whoever their enemies were, they might choose to target her as well if he wasn't careful.

"How may I help you, Ojou-sama (Mistress)?" Seiya greeted, smiling faintly.

"Actually… We-… um… We came over everyday just to see you. You are really cool and we love you a lot!" One of the girls confessed nervously while the others just nodded and added random flattering remarks.

"Why, thank you for your compliment." Seiya replied plainly.

Suddenly, one of the taller girls jumped out from her seat as she extended her hand out for his "Please shake my hand-…"

But, someone snatched his hand away before her fingers could even brush his. Everyone blinked and stared at Usagi in shock. She was still holding onto Seiya's hand high up in the air as she began to blush anxiously at her action. She knew she wasn't supposed to be doing something like that, but her body just acted on its own accord, and before she knew it, she had already lifted his hand away from theirs. Deep inside, she didn't like it when other girls looked at him, telling him that they loved him and touching his hand. She hated it to the extent that she couldn't even control herself from rushing over to grab onto him so they couldn't touch him.

"I'm sorry…Something important… Plea-please follow me…" Usagi stammered through her words nervously and pulled Seiya along with her before anyone could react.

She ran and stopped breathlessly at a corner where they could be alone, taking the opportunity to catch her breath. Seiya just looked quietly down at her for a second, confused by her action. She was still holding onto his hand, either she had forgotten to release him or she was unwilling to.

"What was that for...?" He asked, bewildered by her action.

"Be-because, because your hand…" She replied hesitantly and looked down, only to realize that she was still holding onto his hand though he didn't seem to mind.

She pulled away from him timidly and apologized without further explanation. She needed time to think and form a plan so that he wouldn't discover the embarrassing truth. Usagi kept her eyes glued to the floor, as if she thought something was written there that would help her slip out of this situation.

"Odango, is there something you want to tell me?" Seiya guessed.

Usagi nodded quietly. Though that wasn't the reason why she had pulled him with her, she did have something that she would like to convince him to do. "Seiya, you should go to Okinawa and look for Tamaki as well…"

Seiya shook his head with a sigh, "Like I said before, I won't be able to find him when I don't even know which part of Okinawa he got himself lost in. Besides, Taiki has everything arranged, and believe me… Tamaki can take care of himself just fine. He's actually very powerful though he might not look like it."

"Even if you said so, you are still worried about him, aren't you?" Usagi murmured.

Seiya stared blankly at her. He had no idea how she managed to see through him at times when she was completely oblivious over his affection for her. Still, he was a little happy to know that she was observing him, that she was paying attention to him to notice his buried concern even though she had interpreted it a little wrongly.

"Actually, I just hope he doesn't overdo it and destroy that beautiful island which I wish to bring you to one day." Seiya admitted with a sigh.

"Eh?" Usagi gasped with a faint blush, too shock to say anything back.

He smiled at her adorable expression before adding, "Besides, you don't have a passport, do you? I don't want to go anywhere and leave you here alone…"

"But, I-I can take care of myself! You really don't have to worry about me!" Usagi exclaimed.

Seiya buried his face in his hand and shook his head at her. "You really don't get it, do you?"

Usagi gasped softly, wondering what she had said wrong. He looked more troubled than he was before, and she hadn't meant to make matters any harder for him. She just wanted to ease his worries, but it seemed like the only thing she did now was to give him more problems to be troubled over.

"Seiya, I-I…" Usagi stuttered, failing miserably to get the rest of her words out when someone interrupted them from behind.

"Excuse me, Usagi-san. We need your help with the preparation in the VIP room."

The couple turned around to face the source of the call. A new waitress whom Usagi recognized as Rei was standing a short distance away from them. Usagi nodded and glimpsed back at Seiya only to find him looking quietly at Rei in suspicion. She didn't like that cold look he was wearing, but she didn't have the chance to tell him that as his cell phone began to ring.

Usagi watched as Seiya pulled out his phone and answered it. His soft mumbling into the receiver was covered by Rei calling out to her once again. Seeing that it wasn't a good time now to straighten matters out with him, Usagi decided to get back to her work first. Maybe later, she would find a chance to talk to him and listen to whatever he had to say.

"I'll see you later, Seiya." Usagi departed with a smile as she quickly sprinted into the distance without giving him a chance to stop her.

--

--

Usagi followed Rei up the stairs and down a deserted hallway quietly. Her mind was still unsettled and she was bothered by the hassle she might be giving him. Deep down, she didn't want him to leave her side even for a second, but she couldn't be so selfish as to possess him the entire time when Tamaki might need his help tremendously. She didn't know how powerful Tamaki exactly was, but she did know that if he was to get hurt or killed because of the lack of support, she would definitely blame herself for keeping Seiya by her side.

"It seems like Seiya-kou still cares a lot for you…" Rei stated suddenly, interrupting Usagi's train of thoughts.

"Eh?" Usagi blinked in surprise.

Rei paused by the door and looked right back at her with a strange grin, "It'll be a troublesome if the two of you get back together. Our dear prince, Dimande, won't like it…"

"Dimande…?" Usagi breathed the name softly and shivered.

She wrapped her arms around herself, hoping to stop the sudden shivers. She didn't understand why her heart was beating in such a fast pace or why her palms turned sweaty all of the sudden, but somehow, that name frightened her. She bit her lip subconsciously, her eyes darting around from side to side as if she thought a monster was besides her.

"Don't worry. Dimande-sama isn't here. He's still hasn't recovered from the injuries he got from Seiya-kou a year ago. Your ex-fiancé is sure merciless, isn't he?" Rei stated in a nearly bitter tone.

"I don't understand… wh-what you are saying…" Usagi muttered, shaking her head slowly.

Rei shrugged uncaringly, "Doesn't matter if you've forgotten. I'll make you remember everything soon enough."

She opened the door and Usagi widened her eyes in surprise when she saw who was inside. Mamoru stood a short distance away from her and he was looking as astonished as she was. He called out to her and she blinked at him for a few second before opening her mouth to ask him.

"Mamoru? What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to see you…" He replied honestly, walking up to her.

"See me?" Usagi asked, still dazed by what Rei had previously told her.

"Yes, you left without saying anything. I was worried that you're avoiding me." Mamoru told her.

"I'm sorry…" Usagi apologized softly, finally coming back to her senses. "I didn't mean to leave without a word. It's just that…"

She paused and bit her lip, not knowing what explanation she should give him for not contacting him these few weeks. It wasn't because she was ungrateful and wanted to avoid him, but Taiki had warned her to stay away from him for the time being because she might get them into trouble if she didn't. Though she was against the idea, Taiki sounded serious enough to convince her to stop contacting Mamoru temporary, promising that she could meet up with him once the 'issue' was settled.

Usagi smiled gently up at him, "I just want to let you know that I wasn't avoiding you. Please believe me. Even if you didn't come looking for me today, I'd have gone to find you after this week…"

"It was Seiya Kou, wasn't it? Did he threaten you and force you to stay away from me?" Mamoru jumped into conclusion.

"No, no, no! He didn't! He has never tried forcing me to do anything I didn't want to… He's actually very gentle, caring, and thoughtful…" Usagi blurted out, not realizing that she was praising him once again.

"He almost killed me with a pen! How gentle or thoughtful was that?" Mamoru half-yelled in agitation.

"Eh?!" Usagi threw him a shock look before she shook her hands in front of herself to defend Seiya. "It must be a misunderstanding! I'm sure he didn't mean to hurt you…"

Mamoru sighed heavily at her remarks. Of course Seiya hadn't meant to hurt him because hurting him wasn't what he was trying to do. After all, killing him was his main motive. He was definitely a devil no matter how he looked at him, and Mamoru couldn't understand how Usagi could even associate someone as malicious as him with the terms '_gentle_' and '_caring_'.

"Usagi, it's alright that you couldn't answer my feeling, but please stay away from that guy. I don't want to see you get hurt by him… I'll tell you now. He's just playing with you, and he'll throw you aside after he got tired of you. Can't you see that a guy like him wouldn't truly love you?"

"But, I've never asked him to love me…" Usagi muttered, looking down sadly. "I just want him to stop looking these troubled. But it seems like all I ever did was to give him more problems to worry about… I'm such a failure. I couldn't help him at all…"

Mamoru looked speechlessly back at Usagi, taken aback by her words. It was no good. She had already thrown her heart out at him, hadn't she? She was madly in love with him, wasn't she? But why? For a guy she had just met, how was she able to develop such strong feeling for him?

"It's about time you give her _that_." Rei hinted in a murmur.

Both Mamoru and Usagi turned to face Rei, surprised to find that she was still there. But little to their knowledge, a wicked expression crossed Rei's face as she watched how Mamoru hesitantly pulled out a crimson red diamond-stone and handed it out to Usagi.

"It's for you…"

--

Meanwhile…

Seiya found himself facing a never ending series of stairs. No matter how long he spent climbing them, he couldn't reach the second floor where the V.I.P room was supposed to be located. What was happening here? Did someone cast a magic obstacle to prevent him from getting to Usagi?

"Damn it!" He cursed under his breath, thinking that Usagi might be in danger.

Without wasting a moment, he ignited the area, destroying the magic field with his dark crimson flame. Walking through his own fire, Seiya almost flinched at the scene he had caught sight of. Usagi was talking to Mamoru, and he was handing out something to her. As Usagi reached her hand out for it, the red object suddenly exploded, bursting into pieces.

Mamoru anxiously released the shattered stone when he saw a two-headed snake strike out from the explosion. It hissed loudly and launched down at Usagi before she could even react to the sudden attack.

She saw its mouths opening before her, but she couldn't dodge it on time. She shrieked softly and shut her eyes, anticipating the anguishing pain, but to her surprise, she felt a comforting pair of arms wrapped themselves around her instead, protecting her from the attack.

Usagi opened her eyes and looked up, startled by who she saw. She grasped onto him as she struggled to speak, her mouth letting her utter a soft, weak, mumble of his name.

"Seiya…"

He didn't seem to have heard her calling his name as he glared at the huge two-headed snake that was still persistently sinking their fangs into his arm. The pain didn't even register in his head as he callously ignited the yellow serpent.

"Burn in hell…"

Caught ablaze in the fierce, purplish-red flame, the creature released its bite and hissed in pain. Seiya didn't even bother to watch it dissolved into a pile of ashes as his attention quickly flew back to Usagi, checking her for injuries. He couldn't find anything serious and was relieved, but Usagi was anything but relieved.

She panicked when she saw the gruesome wound that was on his right arm. The sight was disgusting. His deep cuts had turned dark purple in an instant with dirty red blood still flowing out of them. A pain shot through his body, making one of his knees weak as it gave way to the floor.

Usagi called out to him worriedly before dropping down to his side. She wasn't sure what she should do but she knew that she got to stop his bleeding at least. Without wasting a second, she pulled out her handkerchief from her pocket but before she could even get close to his wound, Seiya grabbed her gently by the wrist, stopping her intention.

He shook his head at her, "Don't touch it. It's venomous…"

"Poison…?" Usagi inquired in a murmur, her eyes well up with tears when she saw him dropping his head in pain.

Immediately, he looked back up when he heard her sniffing, and she clung onto him by his tailcoat worriedly. He smiled faintly and patted her on the head, hoping to calm her down. "Don't cry. I'll get you safely out of here. I promise I won't let anyone hurt you."

Usagi shook her head frantically and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him. "No, no, no! I don't want you to promise me that! I just want you to be alright! Please be alright… Please be alright, Seiya…!"

Seiya smiled, giving in to her plea. He embraced her back in his left arm, whispering gently to her, "I'll be fine… I promise…"

He was partially lying, but he didn't want to scare or upset her further by telling her the truth. The snake that had just bitten him was no ordinary snake found in this world. As far as he knew, it was a weapon originated from the demon realm to slay and immobilize any immortals or godly beings. Though its poison was extremely effective, it wasn't the best tool to be used in combat since it could be easily dodged and killed especially against an elite god like him.

But back then, he didn't have a choice but to take the damage for Usagi. He didn't want to attack the monstrous snake at that crucial moment, fearing that Usagi might get hurt from his powerful flame, and it was already too late to pull her away. But knowing that he could block it for her, he dove towards her, covering her small body with his own as he allowed the deadly fangs to come crashing down, cutting through his thick coat and sinking into his flesh.

Though Usagi didn't know all of these details, she did know that he had chosen to protect her without giving a second thought for himself. She was still staring at his dreadful looking wound with a remorseful look on her face. It wasn't right for him to get hurt over her, but he seemed to think otherwise as he tried to get back up onto his feet so he could protect her from the two demons appearing from behind.

Seiya glared at Rei and her other companion whom she addressed as Tomoe while he held Usagi protectively in his left arm. In return, Usagi squeezed him tightly, her head pressed against his chest. She didn't dare or want to let him go, fearing he might get hurt again since the two people standing before them didn't look like they were here to help him.

"It won't do you any good if you move too much, Seiya-kou." Rei stated, smiling wickedly.

Seiya smirked arrogantly back at her remark, "What makes you think a venom like this could defeat me?"

"Ah. This is my first time seeing someone who can still stand after getting bitten by our little pet. As expected from the top guardian of the Zodiac, you're really tough to handle, aren't you, Prince Seiya?" Tomoe commented as he switched his vision from Seiya to Usagi. "So, you are the princess whom Dimande-sama has been seeking for?"

Strangely, Seiya could feel his temperature raised just by hearing that name, but he soon dropped his anger when he felt Usagi pressed herself even closer towards him. He could feel her shivering and could tell that she was afraid of something or someone. He quietly tightened his embrace around her, and she began to calm down by a little as he did. She looked up and was surprised to see him smiling gently down at her. Somehow, his arm made her feel safer than she had ever felt before. She relaxed and smiled warmly back at him.

"Since all the humans in this building are currently unconscious, we can spare the both of you some time to display your final affection for one another. Well, that's if the poison doesn't kill you before we do, Seiya-kou…" Tomoe interrupted them.

Usagi turned and glared at Tomoe. Right, there was no time to be feeling frightened for no apparent reason. Seiya was seriously injured and those two villains before them were intending to hurt him more. There was no way she could just let them do what they wanted with him.

"No one hurt Seiya!" Usagi exclaimed fiercely, surprising Rei and Tomoe as they stared speechlessly back at her.

She glared at them and held Seiya firmly with both arms, supporting him when she felt his legs wobbled unsteadily. She could tell that he was hardly able to stand and could even feel her skirt dampened as his blood dripped onto her clothes. He was battling to keep himself upright so he could protect her, but it was getting harder to do so as the deadly venom began to attack him from within, consuming his body slowly.

Though it was pretty obvious that Seiya was suffering, neither Rei nor Tomoe dared to host an attack on him, since none of them want to risk getting killed by the legendary Heaven's prince who once took down their future King of the demon world. They didn't dare to underestimate him, and would rather wait for him to lose conscious completely before taking them on.

On the other hand, Seiya was breathing heavily. Inside of him, his lungs burned crazily from the venomous attack. He could feel energy vanishing from his body as he laid his head on Usagi's shoulder for support. She held him there, begging him to lay down and rest so he wouldn't have to suffer so much.

"I'm fine… I can't just fall now… they will take you away if I do." He breathed painfully.

"Just let them take me! I really don't care! I just want you to be alright!" Usagi cried.

"Usagi, you still don't get it…" Seiya stressed under his breath. "It's not alright. It's meaningless. Truly meaningless… Living a day without you by my side has absolutely no meaning to me… So, how can you say it's alright for them to take you away when you matters so much to me?"

Usagi could feel her heart raced from what he had just told her. Somehow, it sounded familiar, like she had heard him saying the exact same words before. But she had no memories of the moment they were said, no memories of him or herself. How did she react when he told her that back then? Was she still hugging him like how she was doing now? Or did she push him away because she knew he would end up more hurt if she allowed him to go on protecting her?

But despite knowing he would suffer, she couldn't end things with him. She didn't want to go against his words. She didn't want to upset him, yet she didn't have a choice. He was suffering because of her, and she couldn't bear to let him go on like this.

"You are the one who don't understand…" Usagi breathed into his ears, loosening her clutch ever so slightly.

"I've always been scared… afraid… to live in this world that I know nothing of… I don't know anyone or anything here. I don't even know who I am… Living a day without knowing anything is just so scary!"

"Usagi…" Seiya whispered her name, his eyes widening in surprise at her remarks.

"But, you know…" She continued, smiling faintly. "Recently, I didn't feel scared anymore… because wherever I look, wherever I go… you were there, always there by my side. This might sound strange but I feel like I've known you for all my life. It's like you are the only one I know in this world. And, whenever I think of this, it just makes me feel so happy… That's when I realized how meaningful it is to live another day in this world, as long as you're beside me, it won't be scary anymore. Yes, even now, I'm scared to go over… to leave you… but those aren't what I fear most anymore. What I'm truly scared of is… to see you in pain. I-I cannot bear to see you suffer… I'm sorry… I just can't… so…"

Usagi paused, not completing her sentence, as she looked sternly over at Rei and Tomoe. "…Will you promise to give Seiya the cure if I go with you?"

Both Rei and Tomoe exchanged quiet stares before nodding together. It seemed like they had both agreed on the proposal as Rei took a step forward and extended her hand out to Usagi.

"It's a deal, Usagi-hime."

--

* * *

--

_Character notice: Prince Dimande is also known or called Demando, Demand, or Diamond depending on the subs you watched._

**A/N:** Right! I shall just stop here before the chapter get too long and boring. I won't be coming back to this story so soon because I've promised one of my loyal fan to update a side-story for the Love Legend, both for it's 2nd year '_anniversary' _and her birthday which falls on the same month. So if you are a fan of this story, I'm sorry but you got to wait a little longer for the next update. It depends if I'm able to finishTLL on time, and if the demand for this story is higher than NPA. I'll update according to your review ya?

So, do leave me a review. Thanks for reading!


	6. Wonder Wind

--

_Last Chapter:_

"_But, you know…" She continued, smiling faintly. "Recently, I didn't feel scared anymore… because wherever I look, wherever I go… you were there, always there by my side. This might sound strange but I feel like I've known you for all my life. It's like you are the only one I know in this world. And, whenever I think of this, it just makes me feel so happy… That's when I realized how meaningful it is to live another day in this world, as long as you're beside me, it won't be scary anymore. Yes, even now, I'm scared to go over… to leave you… but those aren't what I fear most anymore. What I'm truly scared of is… to see you in pain. I-I cannot bear to see you suffer… I'm sorry… I just can't… so…"_

_Usagi paused, not completing her sentence, as she looked sternly over at Rei and Tomoe. "…Will you promise to give Seiya the cure if I go with you?"_

_Both Rei and Tomoe exchanged quiet stares before nodding together. It seemed like they had both agreed on the proposal as Rei took a step forward and extended her hand out to Usagi._

"_It's a deal, Usagi-hime."_

--

* * *

--

**Wonder Wind**

--

Mamoru froze on the ground where he was seated, taken aback by what was happening before him. There was no way a stone could transform into a human-sized serpent and tried attacking Usagi. But that was the truth which he tried to deceive himself from. He didn't want to believe that Seiya was the one who came forth and protected Usagi from the monster while he could do nothing for her besides getting knocked down to the floor.

Fury, envy, and guilt burned in his eyes. Anger because he hated seeing the girl he loved being held by another man, jealousy because he wanted to be the one who had protected her and guilt for causing the horrible scenario that they were stuck in right now. It shattered his heart to see her crying for Seiya and offering to go with the enemies for his sake.

He jumped back on his feet, wanting to stop her, but was once again beaten by Seiya who held Usagi back despite her protest. Mamoru watched as Seiya moved her to his other side, keeping himself between her and the enemies, before a long, beautifully crafted spear magically surfaced into his hand. The sharp head of the pole weapon, he noticed, was ignited with a burning flame of dark blue, one that took the color of its master's eyes, and slightly above its blazing head was a delicate set of Aries' horns.

Like its master, the mythical weapon was not only exotically beautiful but also deadly. Mamoru widened his eyes at Seiya who was pointing his spear at the enemies with one hand, warning them to stay away from Usagi. Tomoe and Rei flinched at the overwhelming power that the Spear of Aries was giving off but didn't back away. They knew how terrible Seiya's condition was, and was more than certain that he wouldn't be able to launch an attack on them. With such deadly poison attacking him from within, there shouldn't even be anymore strength left in him to call forth his weapon, yet he just did, though that just weakened his body further.

"S-Seiya! Don't! Please don't fight…" Usagi pleaded, embracing him from behind.

She wouldn't allow him to start a battle, knowing that he'd only hurt himself even more and risked getting killed faster by the poison. But Seiya was stubborn. As much as she didn't want him to get hurt, he couldn't let her leave him and go over to the enemies either. He was still holding onto her with his free hand while using his injured arm to support the long and heavy weapon, directing it at Rei and Tomoe.

"Let me go, please… I don't want you to die... Why can't you understand that?" Usagi cried.

"I won't die…" He told her gently, glancing over his shoulder at her.

"You would!"

Seiya smiled, "Then, I'll die protecting you."

Usagi looked up at him with bewildered eyes, stunned silent. Her arms dropped from his waist as she continued to stare at him, watching him dropped his smile and turned his attention back to the enemies who were ready to attack them.

Why? That wasn't fair. Why must he die protecting her? Why was he risking his life for her?

Usagi shook her head at him slowly, "No…"

She didn't want that.

Hadn't he done enough to protect her? He was already badly hurt and would die anytime from the deadly poison inside him, yet he still insisted on defending her? No, that just wasn't right. She couldn't allow him to do that. She couldn't even content herself to stand behind him anymore as she instinctively took a step forward, keeping herself in front of Seiya, just when Rei launched a ball of fire at him.

Time seemed to have slowed itself before Usagi as she watched the flaming ball flew towards her. Strangely, she found herself unable to move from where she was standing, not even with Seiya pulling her from behind. She couldn't hear him or Mamoru called out her name. She couldn't even see the shock look on everyone's faces. The only thing that flashed past her at that moment was the gentle sound of the wind and a blurry silhouette of a mysterious creature.

Usagi didn't understand why, but somehow, deep inside her, she knew what it was, yet she wasn't even consciously aware that she did or that she was already screaming its name aloud.

"Pegasus!"

Then, everything went by like a blur. All Usagi could remember was hearing a piercing noise of a horse galloping before a strong burst of wind swept past her and cut through the raging ball of fire. But even after extinguishing the flame, the current didn't slow down. Instead, it sped up and transformed into what looked like a ghostly image of a white unicorn with wings.

"_My maiden…"_ It called out to her.

Little to her awareness, Usagi's body reacted on its own accord as she extended her hand out at it, her mouth letting her uttered a soft and barely audible command.

"Bring us out of here, my wind spirit…"

--

* * *

--

His memory of that place where he first met her was vague. All he could recall was its name, the legendary and forbidden forest, called Wonder Wind.

A group of Heavenly soldiers charged forward, chasing after a little, black ram and eventually surrounding it in a tight circle. The small animal glared up and locked its dark blue eyes at the old man approaching him while panting tiredly.

"Your mentor is getting old, Seiya-kou. You shouldn't make me run after you like this…" He sighed at the little ram.

"Blame yourself for turning me into a stupid sheep, damn old man..." Seiya growled at him.

His mentor shook his head, "If you hadn't try running away from the supreme election, I would never have cast that spell on you, my adorable student."

"Stop wasting your breath, old man…" Seiya muttered uncaringly. "I already told you for a hundredth and one time that I don't have any interests in becoming the next king or guardian."

"Stop arguing with me and take some interest in it!" His mentor yelled at him. "Do you know how much hard work we have put into hosting this election?! And, all because of you, your father has just ordered the Council to hold it back! My anticipation, my hard work… It's all gone! And it's all thanks to you!"

"Well, what can I say? You're most welcome?" Seiya shrugged uncaringly.

His mentor gave him an unenthusiastic look, "If you are going to keep up with that nasty attitude of yours, I swear that I'll tie you to a tree or something and throw you into my chamber after I've done capturing you!"

He finished and gestured his soldiers to seize him. Seiya took a step back, glowering at the men who were inching closer towards him from all direction. He swore that he would have slaughtered every single one of them in that instant if he wasn't in an animal form in which he could do nothing to fight back or use his powers.

His mentor chuckled to himself, happy that he had finally discovered a new spell and way to tame this stubborn student of his. Regardless of how powerful and talented of a prince or fighter Seiya was, he'd never be able to escape his men when he couldn't even use his fists to fight back. Contented with his fine plan, the old man watched as his group of soldiers reached out to grab onto Seiya, but before their hands could get anywhere near him, a fierce blast of wind stormed past them, causing the troop to fall backwards.

"Ganging up on a defenceless, little animal… All of you heaven's gods should be ashamed of yourself!" A female voice was heard echoing through the breeze.

Everyone including Seiya glanced around their surrounding wildly as they tried to spot the source of the voice without an avail. It was as though the wind around them had just spoken or that someone was using the current to send a message to them.

"Who's there? Show yourself before us!" The old man shouted.

The breeze caught up in an incredibly fast pace, sweeping another strong gust at them before a winged mount was seen gliding down from the sky. It flew back up as quickly as it came, scooping the little ram along with it.

Seiya stiffened and widened his eyes, startled to find himself held in a pair of soft arms. Instantly, he glanced up and found himself accidentally meeting her in the eyes. She smiled warmly down at him and for the next minute, all Seiya could do was continued to stare back in pure disbelief.

But he wasn't alone. His mentor and every soldier who were after him were shocked speechless as they gaped with their mouths wide open at the maiden seated on top of a winged unicorn. As ordered, the legendary creature flew down and landed before the entrance of a hill, a far distant away from the troop. The breeze sped up again, carrying her message over to them.

"I'm the guardian of the wind spirit, and in the name of Wonder Wind, I won't let you harm this baby ram."

She ended her statement shortly and disappeared into the mysterious forest behind her. Caught in disbelief, none of soldiers moved from where they were standing and was stunned silent.

So, it wasn't just a myth then. The legendary forest known as Wonder Wind really did exist.

It was a mysterious place that little was known about, since it was believed that the entire forest would often shift its location along with the wind, disappearing and reappearing in various part of the world depending on where the current was heading. There was also another claim stating that even gods were forbidden to enter, and anyone who tried intruding would be blown back by the overpowered defensive whirlwind that guarded its entrance.

Yet despite the impossible, many would still go on a conquest in search for the legendary forest, and there were many reasons for the great interest. While, women wanted to seek an opportunity to tame the mythological winged unicorn that was believed to be able to make anyone beautiful for eternity, men were crazy over Wonder Wind's sole guardian who was responsible for controlling the wind spirits to protect its territory from any intrusion.

Although it was highly unlikely that the guardian would come into contact with men, it was said that if she was seen by one, her beauty was so great that, according to folklore, the man would instantly wish to capture her. But as invisible as she was claimed to be in the presence of Wonder Wind, it was greatly impossible that any man would even get a chance to catch a glimpse of her, let alone capture her. And because it was never likely that anyone would learn her name, those who seek and hunted for her eventually named her, Virgo.

"I know what all of you are thinking, but don't even think of going in there to get her or the prince. No matter how many times you try, you'll never make it in successfully. So, just pretend that we lost him and didn't know where he went, got it?" The old man instructed.

"But sire, shouldn't we inform His Majesty or the Great Council about this?" The head of the soldiers asked.

The elderly mentor stood his head, "There's no need to create anymore commotion. That girl who took the prince, she's not just the Guardian of Wonder Wind, but also the daughter of the King of Wight."

--

'_Wight was a class of "demoted' gods who were thrown out of Heaven, either because of their rebellion against the Heaven's King or they weren't good enough. Not being accepted into Hell, they were caught in between, leading them to develop an extreme hatred for the Gods in Heaven. Eventually, they formed an empire on earth and allied with the demon realm, viewing all Heavenly gods as their enemies.' – Story information._

--

"What?!" All the soldiers exclaimed together.

"Yes, but according to my research, she went missing a few years ago after the Wight King, her father, forced her to get engaged to a demon prince. And because her beauty is said to be compatible to the features of one of the Pisces mermaids in Atlantis, everyone, including the Prince of the Demon Realm is battling to seek her out. I won't want Heaven to interfere with this and risk getting caught up in another war with the Wight Empire or the Demon Realm again. So, even if it kills you, never mention what had just happened, do I make myself clear?" He finished sternly.

"Ye-yes sir!" His team of men nodded and bowed without further question.

The elderly mentor stood there in silent for a moment, pondering over his decision in attempt to figure out if he had made the right choice or not. He sighed and mentally scolded Seiya for always creating a problem for him to stress over. Still, he was positive that once the spell on Seiya wears off, everything would turn out right. He would get thrown out of Wonder Wind by the guardian, knowing that she would never tolerate him if she was to find out that he was the Prince of Heaven, while Seiya who could never endure staying near any girls, no matter how pretty they were, would gratefully leave her.

Yes, that was exactly how it would all end for them. The old mentor nodded and smiled to himself, catching a last glimpse of the magical forest, before he ordered his men to head back to Heaven.

--

"My name is Usagi! What's yours, little ram?"

Seiya looked wearily at the girl lifting him up in the air as she smiled happily at him as though she had just found a new toy to play with. He didn't understand why she was so fascinated with him when he looked like a dull animal now. Though he was used to girls clinging and chasing after him back in Heaven, he wasn't comfortable to be lifted by one in such a silly way. He struggled for a bit, but his attempt to break free only made her tightened her grip around his tiny body.

"Do you want to go back home? But you mustn't go out now, little ram. The bad gods might be still out there…"

Her reminder stopped Seiya from resisting as he cursed quietly to himself. Great! Now, he was stuck in this strange place with a silly girl who kept talking to him and a fierce winged unicorn that wouldn't stop glaring at him. Still, it was better than following his mentor back to become some boring guardian and upright his duty as a prince.

He turned back to look at Usagi when he heard her gasping, watching her eyes widening at the blood escaping out from a tiny cut on his hind leg.

"You're hurt!!" She exclaimed worriedly before she shot up and rushed down a short stone path while carrying him in her arms.

Seiya continued to stare at her anxious expression, not understanding why she was getting so upset over a small cut of his. He remained silent and allowed her to settle him gently down on a huge marble stone, a short distance away from the freshwater lake.

"This might sting a little…" Usagi warned before cupping her hands into the lake to fill it up with clear water.

She turned her attention back to him and poured the water over his cut slowly. He flinched slightly, not expecting her to do that, but remained perfectly still, not making any movement away from her process of cleaning the injury. When the last drop of water had dripped out, Usagi began ripping the bottom of her white dress much to his surprise. He peered at her oddly, taken aback by her action as she took the white strip to wind it around his hind leg a couple of times. Her expression turned a little serious as she tried to figure a way to tie the bandage so that there'd be just enough pressure to stop the bleeding but not enough to cause him any pain.

For a brief moment there, Seiya found himself secretly smiling at her caring nature. He thought she was silly to get so stress up over his little injury, especially when he was just a useless ram now, yet why did she appear so adorable at the same time? Strangely, his heart felt warm just by looking at her and it even skipped a beat when she finally glanced up and smiled at him after she had done dressing his wound.

"Does it still hurt? Can you walk?" Usagi asked.

Seiya lifted his legs and took a few steps forward as his reply, making Usagi beamed gratefully back. She continued to stare at him, her eyes widening by a little with admiration when she found herself accidentally meeting his eyes.

"You have such beautiful pair of dark blue eyes, little ram…" She muttered, still admiring him with a smile.

Seiya looked away from her intent gaze, deciding to ignore that compliment. Though that wasn't his first time getting these kinds of remarks, he couldn't help but feel a little awkward when she praised him. Maybe it wasn't a bad thing being a ram since he could get to pretend that he didn't understand her or choose not to reply.

"Don't ignore me…" Usagi pouted and picked Seiya up much to his reluctance.

She gently held and positioned him until he was at her eye level. He looked unenthusiastically at her, wondering what she was going to do next, but judging from that stupid smile that she was giving him, he was certain that whatever idea that had just hit her wasn't going to be something he'd like.

"I've finally come up with a good name for you, little ram!" She beamed excitedly at him before continuing, "From today on, you shall be called Aries!"

Immediately, Seiya threw her an exasperated look, clearly showing her that he didn't like that name, but Usagi was too excited to notice his displease as she happily introduced him to the winged unicorn that was standing next to her.

"Aries, I would like you to meet Pegasus. And Pegasus, this is our new friend, Aries!" She exclaimed and held Seiya out to show him off to her wind spirit.

Pegasus huffed unhappily at Seiya before reaching its neck out and widening its mouth at him. Usagi gasped and quickly yanked Seiya away from Pegasus before it could even land a bite on him.

"No, Pegasus! Aries is not your food! You don't eat or hurt him!" She scolded, holding Seiya against her chest protectively.

Seiya blinked a couple of times but remained perfectly still, enjoying the pleasant feeling of warmth that she was giving him. He shot a sideway glance at Pegasus and smirked arrogantly at it which made the white mount widened its eyes with pure frustration. But Seiya simply ignored its angry expression and continued to lie comfortably in Usagi's arms.

It didn't matter if he had made a rival because of her. The strange feeling that he had for her had gradually grew so strong that he was even willing to make the world his enemy if that would keep her by his side. As the days past, he had come to learn a few things about this mysterious girl. She was well-liked and respected by all the creatures that lived in the forest, and could even communicate with most of them. The little birds would sing to her whenever she strolled by and the golden eagles would even fly down to present her with gifts. Now, even a mermaid of Atlantis had come up to shore just to meet her.

"I met a really hot centaur the other day, his name is Yaten… and I think I'm in love with him…" The golden mermaid updated Usagi.

Usagi nodded and listened to her friend bragged about that Yaten person before adding, "But Minako, wouldn't you be in trouble if the King and Queen of your kingdom finds out about your relationship with him? You'd be severely punished…"

"I don't care… I'd run away like how you did if they won't allow me be with him…" Minako concluded, folding her arms.

Seiya yawned at the on-going conversation between Usagi and Minako. He continued to lie quietly on Usagi's lap, obviously uninterested in their topic till Minako mentioned something about a Demon Prince and another Wight King who were trying to capture Usagi.

"I heard that they have sent more men out to hunt for you, Usagi. So, you better hurried back to Wonder Wind and stay in there, it'd be dangerous if you keep venturing out to meet me…"

Seiya's ears perked up and he instantly awakened from his rest when he heard Minako's remark. He mirrored Usagi's serious expression, not liking what he was hearing at all. Why were people out to get Usagi? What did all these men want from her?

"Why won't they just let me go?" Usagi sighed, sounding a little distress.

"That's because your father is a selfish man! Forcing you to marry a man who you didn't like just for the sake of strengthening his empire… How wicked…! You were right to run away from them, Usagi." Minako commented with a nod.

Usagi smiled but kept quiet, not really interested in discussing the matter further. She looked down when she felt Seiya brushing his face lightly against her arm as he tried to comfort her. He stared up at her, and as each second passed his head filled with another question he was dying to ask her. There was a lot he wanted to learn about her, a lot he needed to know about her. His head was swarming with hundred of questions, most of them he would probably not get a chance to ask.

He didn't think that she would accept him if he was to open his voice and speak to her in his present form. She might even end up hating him if she learnt about his status as the prince of heaven, and that possibility of hatred somehow scared him. It was his first time experiencing such an uncontrollable feeling like this, the fear of losing someone.

Why did it matter so much to him whether he could continue seeing Usagi or not? He'd admit, he had enjoyed the days they spent together in Wonder Wind, but that didn't change the fact that he hadn't known her for very long. He couldn't have developed any feeling for her in such a short amount of time he had known her. That was impossible. He tried to tell himself that she was just another person and that he could stop seeing her whenever he wanted to, but he realized he couldn't do that.

His eyes would follow her every movement, watching her as she settled down at the centre of a huge clover field. There, her lips were seen curving up into a bright smile when she spotted a four-leaf clover.

"Look Aries! A four-leaf clover! How lucky!" She exclaimed happily, picking it up to show it to him.

Seiya looked oddly at the plain-looking plant as he tried to figure out her excitement. But his attention immediately flew back to Usagi when she bent forward and tried tying the clover around his tiny front leg.

"They say that if you find a four-leafed clover and make a wish, your wish will come true. But do you know what a clover actually means?" She asked before looking back up at him with a warm smile.

"It means… You're my lover…"

Seiya stared at Usagi, switching his view from her lovely expression to the clover knotted around his leg, enchanted by her words.

Lover…?

That sounded nice.

Was there even a possibility that they could be one?

Yes, he had finally found his first interest. At that moment, he decided he would be with her forever, even if he meant to go against the Wight or the Demon Empire. He didn't care. He wasn't going to let anyone lay a finger on her and was even willing to remain as a ram just as long as they could be together. But to stay at her side forever would probably be near impossible considering that he would transform back into his original form after the spell wears off, which he knew, would be in one or two days time.

He was reluctant, but in order to keep seeing her, he got to leave her for the time being and find a way to get his mentor to permanently turn him into a ram or something. That was the only solution he had came up with as he took the opportunity to sneak out in the middle of the night while Usagi was asleep. He hadn't expected her to wake up panicking to find him gone, but she did, and even rushed out of Wonder Wind without Pegasus to look for him.

"Aries? Aries?!" Usagi called out worriedly.

She was running further and further away from her home without realizing. Her mind was completely focused on finding Seiya, fearing that he might get hurt in the world outside of Wonder Wind. She was sure that a little animal like him couldn't defend himself and he might even get bullied or cooked alive by those evil hunter gods.

She had to find him. Yes, Usagi clearly believed that it was her fault that he had run away. She should have known that he wasn't happy staying with her from the beginning but at the very least, she wanted to say goodbye and watched him go safely.

Usagi clutched her fist together, determined to find Seiya, as she continued to run about wildly, yelling out to him. The clouds shielded the moon, hiding the light it would have provided. Usagi spun around when she heard the sound of loud footsteps but the only thing she saw were darkness and clumps of trees.

As the noise got louder, her eyes caught sight of several fire torches heading towards her. Usaagi turned around and tried to back away but found herself stepping onto the trigger of a foothold trap. She let out a soft shriek of pain and fell onto the grassy ground, unable to move from the spot.

"We've finally caught you, Princess…"

Usagi turned to face the source of the voice, and was startled to find Zoisite with his group of demons standing around her. She flinched, and had completely forgotten the pain on her leg, when she saw him reaching out his hand for her.

"Our Prince Dimande has been looking everywhere for you…" Zoisite smirked and tried to grab onto her.

"Don't come any closer!" Usagi yelled as a powerful air current sent him and his group of demons falling a few steps back.

The strong gust continued to stomp past them, putting out their fire torches and shifting the clouds to reveal the full moon. Within seconds, the fast moving air around her transformed and turned into an outline of a translucent wind shield, preventing anyone from coming any closer to her comfort zone. This unbreakable defensive magic of hers was one reason why she remained untouchable throughout the years.

Zoisite frowned but stopped his men from trying to attack the protective wall. He was told by his prince that Usagi wasn't just another weak girl with a pretty face. Instead, she was strong and exceptionally difficult to deal with which was partially why Dimande wanted her as his wife. If she hadn't come out of Wonder Wind to look for someone, Zoisite was positive that he'd never get the chance to even catch a glimpse of her. Though he didn't know who she was looking for, he had heard her calling his name and maybe he could use that concern of hers to his advantage.

"You'll never get to see your friend, Aries again if you don't come out of there, Princess Usagi."

"A-Aries? What have you done to him?!" Usagi demanded anxiously.

Zoisite smirked, feeling pleased that his plan worked as he continued to lie. "You don't have to worry, Princess Usagi. He's unharmed for now, but I couldn't guarantee his safety for long…"

"Don't hurt him!" Usagi shrieked, glaring sternly at Zoisite.

"You'll have to come with us if you don't want your little friend to get hurt."

Zoisite snickered as he watched Usagi bit her lips in hesitation before the powerful gust that surrounded her slowly died down into light breeze. Every one of the demons stared back at her, surprised by her obedience. They chuckled to one another and moved in towards her, ready to take her with them.

Usagi clutched her fists as she shut her eyes to endure the hands that were about to touch her but before any one of them could even get close enough, someone leapt out of the darkness and landed himself between Usagi and the group of demons.

"No one is allowed to touch her."

Usagi's ear perked up at the solemn sounding voice that didn't seem to belong to any one of the demons. Soon, a few loud crashes, cries, and screams of agony were heard before everything grew eerily quiet. Slowly, Usagi opened her eyes, taken aback by the scene before her. The entire horde of demons lay motionlessly on the ground, some were so badly burnt that their bodies powdered into ashes. She didn't know whether they were unconscious or dead, but she couldn't bring herself to care much after she had caught sight of Zoisite pierced against a tree by a thick, long spear that seemed to let out a dark blue glow against the darkness.

Usagi widened her eyes as she watched the man, who had stabbed Zoisite with his spear, mercilessly forced the blade deeper into his left shoulder, causing Zoisite to scream out in pain.

"Did you try touching her with this filthy hand of yours?" He muttered in a flat and cold tone as he closed in at his prey, feeling the urge to rip Zoisite's arm apart.

Zoisite swallowed nervously as he stared back at the man who appeared even more ruthless and frightening than the demon prince whom he was serving. The shadows of the woodland played with the faint moonlight, making him looked twice as fearsome. But he thought he had seen this man somewhere before and even though he couldn't figure out who he was now, the godly aura around him was so overwhelming that he was, without a question, an elite god from heaven.

"Consider yourself lucky that you didn't actually lay your hand on Usagi because I'd have torn your arm apart if you did." He told Zoisite seriously, sending a quick shiver down his spine as he continued. "Still, you have hurt her and I should have slice off your legs for that, but then again, you won't be able to travel back without them. So, don't worry, I won't kill you just yet… I still need you to pass a message to your demon prince…"

He grabbed Zoisite by the collar, forcefully pulling him closer so he was whispering into his ear, "Tell him that I'll fight whoever that is foolish enough to keep me and Usagi apart, and if he dares to lay a finger on her, I would personally burn his entire demon empire down along with him."

He finished and released Zoisite from his spear before turning around to face Usagi who was still staring back at him, stunned silent. She watched him hurried over to her after Zoisite had disappeared and quickly moved down to work on the foothold trap that was painfully holding onto her leg.

Even though he was being very careful in trying to separate the metals that were gripping onto her ankle, Usagi still winced in pain, making him gazed up at her worriedly.

It was at that moment when their eyes met.

"Aries…" Usagi muttered in disbelief, recognizing his beautiful pair of dark blue orbs. "You are Aries…"

For a moment, he avoided her eyes and kept quiet until he had successfully freed her leg from the trap did he start to draw in enough courage to introduce himself. "My real name is Seiya and I'm actually… a prince… from Heaven…"

Usagi just stared, bewildered from what he had just told her. She slowly backed away from him without peeling her eyes off his face. Seiya looked desperately at her as he tried to grab onto her arm, but she slapped his fingers away, sending a tremor of pain down his body. What hurt him wasn't the fact that she had rejected him but the tears that were forming in her eyes.

Why was she looking this sad?

She was always laughing whenever she was around him, if not smiling, and it was his first time seeing her cry. Though he didn't understand, he could feel his heart throbbed painfully at the sight of her tears.

"Don't touch me!" She shouted at him before her voice cracked in the middle. "Yo-You lied to me… why did you lie to me? I-I was so worried for you… an-and yet…"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to… I just didn't want you to leave me…" He admitted.

Usagi gazed up at him, taken aback by his words. She hadn't expected him to say that and didn't know what to reply. All she could do now was to stare back, watching him looked away awkwardly before turning his attention back to her injured leg.

"I know you don't want me here… but will you at least allow me to clean your wound and send you back to Wonder Wind?" Seiya asked.

Usagi turned away from him and kept quiet, reminding him that she was still angry with him and hardly wanted his help. But he paid no mind to her expression, or at least, he didn't let her know how much that sullen look bothered him as he quickly hoisted her into his arms and took her down to the nearest lake that was around the area while ignoring her protest.

"If you had just woken that lazy horse of yours up and bring him along with you, you won't have to end up hurt and getting carried by me…" He sighed at her.

"Eh?! Whose fault do you think it is? If you hadn't run away, I won't have come out of Wonder Wind and got myself injured!" Usagi shrieked angrily at him.

"I know… and I'm sorry… You can hate me for all you want, but please try to put up with me for now… I couldn't bear to see you hurting yourself again…" He told her remorsefully.

Usagi glanced silently up at him and didn't protest further. It was strange. Despite feeling cheated and angry, she couldn't bring herself to hate him like he though she would. It sickened her to feel how secure and comfortable she felt in his arms even with all those angry thoughts racing through her head. He was a prince from Heaven, one of her kingdom's sworn enemies, and that alone had already given her all the right to detest him, but yet why?

Why did this strong and mysterious feeling that she had for him remained unchanged?

To her, it didn't matter whether he was a ram or this handsome young man carrying her, she still felt warm and secured being with him. She remained quiet, allowing him to settle her down close to the water, as he gently cleaned her cuts the way that reminded her of how she did with his during their first encounter. But unlike her, he didn't start tearing his long, leather coat for her to use as bandage. Instead, he reached behind his neck and pulled out the white ribbon that was tying his hair together.

Usagi's eyes enlarged with admiration as she watched how those beautiful long, black strands of his spouted out against the breeze before they settled gently down his broad shoulders. Once again, she had forgotten the pain that was acting on her leg just by looking at this stunning night creature before her.

She didn't even notice that he had done dressing her wound with the ribbon until he glanced up to check on her, only to find her reaching her hand out for him. But coming into an eye contact with him brought Usagi back to her sense as she quickly held her hand back to her chest before she could even graze a touch.

Seiya stared back at her, a surprised expression on his face, as Usagi anxiously turned and looked bashfully down on the ground, pretending to be interested in the grass that was underneath her. She didn't dare to look back up at him until she heard him giggling softly to himself. She peeked up and blushed at the beautiful smile that she instantly fell in love with.

"Wh-What so funny?" Usagi demanded, trying to sound angry.

Seiya shook his head before looking directly back into her eyes with a gentle grin, "Nothing… I'm just happy that you still like me…"

"I didn't say I like you, you stupid ram!" Usagi denied aloud, her cheeks flushing a deep red.

She attempted to glare at him, but instantly dropped that idea when she saw him held out a four-leaf clover to her. Usagi's face bobbed down as she stared at the plant for a brief moment before her jaw dropped in surprise. He still had the one she gave him tied around his left ring finger, so it could only mean that he was presenting her with a four-leaf clover that he had found.

"Even though I could no longer see you in Wonder Wind anymore, I'm just as lucky to have met you, Usagi…" He told her, smiling warmly.

Usagi flushed a light red as she once again faced the ground before slowly extending her hand out to accept the clover from him much to his surprise.

"What are you saying, you stupid ram…?" She muttered and finally peeped up at his startled expression before smiling gently.

"Wonder Wind still welcomes you…"

His lips immediately curved up into a wide smile at her last sentence. And, along with it came the beginning of the rise and fall of the stars.

--

* * *

--

Yaten watched how Minako's eyes snapped wide open before they softened ever so gently with tears as she brought the half piece of Pisces stone to her lips. It was strange how her memories, though not all of them, and confidence could return to her after just coming into contact with a broken fragment. But this fragment that was given to her by Yaten wasn't just an ordinary piece of stone. It was her Starstone, her identity, her past and her future.

"Thank you, thank you so much for finding it for me…" She murmured, looking gratefully at him with tears still forming in her eyes.

Yaten looked back at her and nodded uneasily, dumbfounded for a second. Though he was extremely popular and had got used to being idolized by girls, he paid no mind to any of them and definitely didn't know how to handle one who was crying to him. He thought of comforting her but that would be silly when she was obviously crying out of joy and appreciation. Maybe he should give her a smile or wipe her tears then. But wouldn't that be a little awkward?

As he was busy contemplating to come up with an appropriate response, Tamaki suddenly appeared out of nowhere, stepping in between Yaten and Minako, as he simply took Minako's hands into his before either of them could react.

"You don't have to thank me, my lovable mermaid. It was my honor to slay the Naga King and retrieve part of your Starstone for you." Tamaki stated in a dramatic manner.

"I was the one who retrieved her stone! You did nothing besides charging aimlessly at them!" Yaten shrieked at Tamaki from behind.

Tamaki shook his head at him, "Tsk, tsk. Don't forget that I was the one who did most of the killing, while you, my loyal horseman, just conveniently looted the Starstone from the Naga King which I've killed."

"Ha! Remind me again. Who was the one who claimed that the Naga's corpse stinks and won't want to go near any of them to investigate and retrieve the Starstone?" Yaten retorted calmly.

Tamaki threw him a shock look, "There was such a despicable person?"

"That despicable person was none other than you, damn lion!" Yaten snapped at him. "All thanks to your reckless killing, I've to spend a whole damn hour searching for the Starstone and clearing your dirty mess!"

"My, I didn't know you enjoyed cleaning the corpses so much, my loyal horseman. You don't have to thank me, really. But, you're certainly most welcome." Tamaki nodded and patted Yaten on his shoulder much to his exasperation.

Yaten raised his fist at Tamaki, swearing that he would have punched him on the face if Minako hadn't came in between them in the attempt to prevent the imminent outbreak of violence.

"Ah! I'm really grateful to the both of you for helping me get my Starstone back. So, please don't fight, Your Excellency, Yaten-kun." She interrupted nervously, switching her views from Tamaki to Yaten from between.

Yaten held back his punches with a frown, swearing that he would get back at Tamaki one fine day. He then turned to face Minako, surprised to find her smiling at him out of relief. His lips curved up a little at the sight of her grin, but before he could even open his mouth to give a reply, Tamaki once again interrupted him.

"I wasn't thinking of fighting him, my lovely mermaid. So, you don't have to worry about my safety." He told her, adding a bit of drama into his tone.

"I wasn't worried about you, Your Excellency." Minako replied honestly without giving his words a second thought.

Instantly, Tamaki's image froze, turning into a sliver statue before his sculpture broke into a million pieces at her response.

"You definitely did say the right thing, Minako." Yaten laughed with a nod.

Minako blinked a few times at Yaten before gasping nervously when she realized what her statement might have meant to Tamaki. Whoops. She had offended their prince. Minako wanted to fix this misinterpretation somehow. But her apology couldn't reach Tamaki in time as he quickly retreated into his little, dark corner and began mortifying his wave of agony into many, tiny mushrooms.

"I'm sorry, Your Excellency… it's not that I wasn't concern about you… I'm just afraid that you might end up breaking the things in the house…" Minako tried explaining anxiously.

"… and causing more troubles for everyone." Yaten added, rubbing it in which sent Tamaki further into his depression.

"Yaten-kun!" Minako half-heartedly scolded him as she tried to console Tamaki.

Yaten sighed, deciding to help Minako out for a bit before Tamaki turned the whole place into a mushroom farm which would be just as bad as breaking furniture and crumbling walls. "Stop growing mushroom at the corner already… Don't you have Usagi and that Chiba guy to look after?"

"Neither of them have regain conscious yet. Michiru said she can watch over them herself, and she ask me to check on Seiya. But Taiki won't allow me into the treatment room…" Tamaki replied with wave of agony still streaming around him.

"So even Your Excellency doesn't know about Ouji-sama's condition?" Minako asked sadly. "Yaten-kun told me that he was found badly wounded at the gate of the main house? What actually happened?"

"We don't know either. I guess we'd just have to wait for one of them to wake up before we can find out what actually happened while we were away in Okinawa." Yaten replied, looking a little distress.

"But I don't think Seiya will ever lose to anyone in a battle…" Tamaki commented abruptly and stood up, his once depressed expression morphed into a serious one.

"I agree! The Ouji-sama I know will never lose in a fight! He's always strong and dominant! And, I'm sure he's going to be alright! I know he will…" Minako exclaimed, grasping both her hands together worriedly.

Yaten glanced at Minako's upset expression before turning away, slightly bothered by her extreme concern for Seiya. Sure, she had gotten her memories back and maybe she had a past with Seiya, but that didn't mean they were lovers right? At least, that was what he wanted to believe. He didn't want to ask her about her relationship with Seiya or any one of the zodiac guardians whom she could remember. He wanted to personally remember her and his relationship with everyone on his own. But the idea of retrieving his Starstone frightened him.

What if, by the end of everything, there wasn't a Starstone that actually belonged to him? What should he do then? How could he continue living with these people if he wasn't part of them?

Taking a deep breath, he cleared his mind of all thoughts of their shaky future. There'd be no benefit gained from focusing on all the 'what ifs'. Right now, he should be thinking of how he could help Seiya into recovery, even though he didn't have any medical skills or know anything about treating poison unlike Taiki.

Still, he didn't think that he would be of much help even if he was a certified doctor because the damage that Seiya suffered wasn't anything ordinary that the modern medical science of this world could cure, which made admitting him to a hospital just as pointless.

Just when he thought that things couldn't get anymore complicated, Haruka stormed into the room with a couple of maids and servants trying to stop him from behind. Yaten eyed at the intruder wearily for a second before waving away the servants. He was positive that Haruka was here for Minako. Haruka's action and expression had made it perfectly clear.

"Haruka, how did you-…?"

"Find you?" Haruka completed the sentence for Minako with a sigh as he shook his head and walked over to her. "Minako, you were practically screaming when that shrimp called you."

"Who are you calling shrimp, damn intruder?!" Yaten snapped.

"Intruder? You should be grateful that I didn't report you for tricking Minako into coming here." Haruka retorted, pointing his index at Yaten.

"No, no… Yaten-kun didn't trick me… I was the one who wanted to come over…" Minako immediately jumped into Yaten's defence.

"Let's not quarrel, my faithful peasants. You won't want your noise to reach Taiki's ears…" Tamaki stated calmly.

"Yes, yes. The Great Sage is really scary when he gets angry, so please don't fight." Minako added anxiously.

Haruka threw Yaten a final menacing gaze before deciding to drop the matters as he turned over to Minako, silently asking her whether she was ready to leave. But Minako just shook her head at him and insisted that she wouldn't go anywhere until she learnt about Seiya's condition.

"Fine then. I'll stay with you till that whoever prince of yours wakes up." Haruka agreed with a sigh, not wanting to force Minako to leave if she didn't want to.

"I didn't say anything about allowing a damn intruder like you to stay." Yaten objected, glaring at Haruka.

"What are you going to do about it if I insist on staying? Kick me out?" He shrugged.

"You think I won't?" Yaten challenged.

Haruka smirked, "I just think you couldn't even if you try."

"Huh, is that so? Then try this." Yaten smiled forcefully as he pulled back his fist and threw it out at Haruka.

Haruka stepped towards the right, barely dodging the fierce strike. It didn't take Haruka very long either to learn that Yaten was quicker than all those harassers, who he had severely bashed for pestering Minako in the past, and certainly, he was a lot stronger too. Haruka turned serious, glaring at Yaten as he blocked his next attack with his right elbow. But just when he was about to strike a counter-attack, two huge fishing nets abruptly flew out of nowhere and landed onto them.

Instantly, the boys stopped fighting when they found themselves separated and trapped within some elastic wired nets. They turned around together, surprised to find Minako holding onto the end of the netting with an angry look flashed across her lovely face.

"NO FIGHTING!!" She yelled fiercely at them.

Both Yaten and Haruka flinched slightly and widened their eyes in surprise, wondering where she had gotten the huge nets from. They were clearly missing the picture though, since they knew nothing about her Pisces' ability. Tamaki stood there, shaking his head at the two boys with a sigh.

"Fighting among each other over mermaid-chan isn't something you should be doing, my faithful peasants."

The veins on Yaten's and Haruka's foreheads could be seen bulging out of fury together as they turned to glare at Tamaki who had placed one hand on each of their shoulders. But they didn't shove him away as they would have expected themselves to. They couldn't, not when he was looking so seriously at them.

"Shouldn't you be fighting those who are out to get mermaid-chan instead?" Tamaki asked in a voice that was barely audible to Minako who was standing behind him.

The two boys stared back at Tamaki, giving him a 'what are you saying' look.

"Heaven has made too many enemies, and because of mermaid-chan, we have offended yet another empire, the Kingdom of Atlantis." He informed them softly before adding, "And according to the Great Sage's prediction, Alantis will soon rise, forming an ally with the Wight and Akuma (Demon) Empires to steal mermaid-chan back…"

--

* * *

--

"What is your next plan, Tomoe? Prince Dimande won't be pleased to know that you didn't manage to bring Usagi-hime back to him." Jadeite stated.

"Why don't you ask Rei? She was the one who insisted that it was possible to kill Seiya-kou instead of following my plan to capture Usagi-hime when we had the chance to..." Tomoe replied, glowering at Rei who was staring blankly out the window.

She let out a tired sigh before turning around to look wearily at him, "You have misunderstood me, Professor. I didn't say that I'll agree to help you capture Usagi-hime back to Prince Dimande. Our empire might have allied with yours, but that doesn't mean I've to take orders from any of you."

Tomoe shook his head with a sigh, "This is why I never like working with the warriors of Wight."

"Aren't you half-Wight yourself?" Jadeite smirked at Tomoe.

"But I'm proud to be half a demon." Tomoe shrugged before turning back to Rei. "I'm unlike you who pretended to harm Usagi-hime just for the opportunity to kill Seiya-kou. It was a good plan but you've underestimated the Prince of Heaven, Rei. He's tougher than you think he is, and even our future king can't beat him, what makes you think you can huh?"

"Even if I can't, I won't let him off that easily…" Rei declared in a murmur.

"Oh? What has Seiya-kou done to make you hate him this much?" Jadeite asked with a shrug.

"He stole a best friend who was once mine and failed to protect her… I won't forgive him for that…" She muttered lowly.

Both Tomoe and Jadeite raised their brows at Rei, wondering who she was referring to. But she simply ignored their curious looks and made her way past them. Ironically enough, she didn't leave the room when they had expected her to. Instead, Rei turned around to give them a serious look as she opened the door.

"I almost forgot to mention this…" She uttered, sending them a final message. "For the sake of my empire, I maybe siding you demons for the time being. But that doesn't mean I'm supporting Usagi-hime to get hurt or go back with you. Those who harmed our princess are my enemies… I'll never forgive them and your Prince Dimande is no exception…"

--

* * *

--

'_-kou also means prince in Japanese, while –hime means princess.' – Japanese translation._

A/N: I wasn't planning on updating this story anymore, but because of the many demands that I received through the months, I decided to submit another chapter. I'll be updating the NPA next, so if you'd like to see another chapter for this story, leave me a review and let me know, if not, I'll just go ahead and leave this in the cold. Thank you for reading and I wish everyone a Happy New Year =)!

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